Gods Among Gods
by UltraFan123
Summary: Nazarick remained unchallenged as the sole YGGDRASIL beings in the world, until 100 years after their arrival when the next wave of Players made their way into it. Perhaps these new guests on his world will be the break of tiresome routine he waited for so long, such hoped the God-King Ainz.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue (First Half)

**Hello there, I'm your average Overlord reader, the reason I decided to write fanfiction is because the long waits between Volumes made me restless, so if I wasn't going to get new Overlord stories anytime soon, then I might as well write one myself.**

**The Prologue was originally going to be just one Chapter, but to my surprise I ended up writing more than I expected, so I had to split it into 2 parts, less I make the first Chapter way to long. **

**I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I'm enjoying to write it, see you in the Afterword.**

Chapter 1: Prologue (First Half)

He logged in, a bit earlier than they agreed, but it was the last day so he wanted to enjoy YGGDRASIL one last time the most he could. He reached the place he and his friends agreed to meet and found one them already waiting for him.

"Yo, you're the first one to come, I'm glad you showed up."

In front of him was a Demon resembling a bipedal lizard with dark red scales, a large snake tail, yellow reptilian eyes, 4 curved horns on his head, and wearing a pitch black robe with blood red symbols adorning it. The figure also sported a ring in each of his 8 fingers, a necklace which carried a strange-looking symbol, and was holding a wooden staff covered with a pattern of leaves and a goat skull that had gems in the eye sockets on top of it. Goat skull aside, the staff looked surprisingly divine, and the scene of a fiendish lizard holding it was bizarre to say the least.

"Oi, you've been waiting here a long time? Sorry I didn't arrived sooner, I had some things to take care of, and didn't wanted to have them at the back in my mind today."

"Don't sweat it mate, I know you're busy. In fact, I half expected you to come last!"

His friend, who went by the username Meitro, was an Heteromorph Player of the Demonic Race that maxed out the Racial Levels all the way to [Evil Lord], the final Class in the traditional Demon line. His Racial traits and Skills combined with his Summoner Job Classes allowed him to bring forth and command the most fiendish creatures from the Abyss. He does have some mastery over Spells of course, since any Magic Caster worth their salt is capable of at least fighting on their own to some degree, but the bulk of his build is centered on the summoning and buffing of high-level Demons.

"Well, today is special after all, not everyday a game you love so much is gonna be shut down forever, so I took care of my business as fast as I could. I do hope the others can arrive."

"I'm certain they will, YGGDRASIL meant a lot for each of us, none of us would sit out this day for anything in the world."

The 2 continued to converse about random and mundane topics until one of their companions joined them some minutes later.

"Meitro, Asmodel, you're early!"

A young-looking man with fair skin, silver gray hair and golden eyes joined them. He was sporting a thin white leather armor with two sheathed katanas, one on his right hip, and the other on his back. The armor itself was adorned with golden minimalistic pictures of Dragons and Quilins, quite fitting for a Player that took pride in his Kensei build.

"So good to see you could come Teinu, now we just wait for Anchelo and Ragnar so we can start our final adventure..."

"Uh? Is that sadness in your tone? Don't be down Asmodel, this IS our final adventure together, so shouldn't we all enjoy it with a smile?"

His face couldn't have possibly shown his sorrow, face expression was beyond the current technological capabilities, yet, his friend could instantly tell he was sad. A true testament of the time they've all spent together.

"Yes, yes! You're correct, I shouldn't be brooding today. I'm sorry."

"Why you apologize? I'm a bit sad too, and I'm sure Teinu here is as well, but that's why all 5 of us will spend this last day together, so we can make the final day of YGGDRASIL a good memory worth remembering!"

The Human Player simply nodded to Meitro's words, and Asmodel once again felt glad to have such good friends with him on this final day. And at that moment.

"What's this, Asmodel brodding again? Stop acting like an emo teen dude, you're an adult."

"You're our leader, man, act like it, we can't be the ones straightening you up all the time."

2 more Players descended to the scene from the skies with their natural flight abilities.

One of them was an Angel. More accurately, it resembled an Angel, but wasn't exactly one. Anchelo was a Half-Celestial, a half Angel, half Human Race that wasn't as abstract-looking as pure Angels are. He sports 2 wings on his back, and is covered in a full plate silver armor with emerald stripes adorning it and small shields embedded in both forearms, and as a Cleric his main weapon is an elemental mace of ivory. His wings are similar to peacock feathers, and behind his armor he has blueish skin, pale white hair, and his eyes have golden sclera, green irises and grey pupils.

The other one was a massive bipedal rhinoceros beetle. Like, 3 meters massive. On each hip he sported a massive onyx axe, but such oversized blades were his only visible equipment besides a stone necklace with the shape of a Behemoth hanging from his neck and a metal belt wrapped around his waist. His exoskeleton carapace was covered in several magical tattoos that were imbued with bestial power, such mystic patterns were fitting to Barbarians since they drew power from primordial rage rather than refined skill and technique.

Also, while they could technically wear heavy armor without issues, many Barbarians like Ragnar saw their specially high natural defense as more reliable, since their buffing Skills enhanced it even more, and such gear also dwindled their speed, so another reason to avoid large pieces of armament covering their bodies.

"It seems you too can tell I'm depressed, guess there's no point in trying to hide it."

"How are we not gonna know? We've been a small Clan for nearly a year now, and small groups are always more united than bigger ones after all."

Anchelo was right, Asmodel felt a greater sense of comradery with the 4 Players in front of him than he ever felt with the Players of the Guild he was part of during the golden years of the game. Not saying that he doesn't considers his former Guildmates as his friends, is just that he never knew them as well as he knew his current friends, and vice-versa.

"Okay then, I promise to stop bringing down the mood, we have a final raid after all, we should make it count."

"Now we're talking!"

"Yes, since today is the final day, mobs should be deactivated as well as environmental hazards, so we can save Spells, Skills and consumables for whatever Boss awaits us in that damned castle."

What Anchelo was talking about was a large castle in the center of the Ice Town located in the realm of Niflheim. Each realm in YGGDRASIL had a single base that, when conquered by a Guild, will give the Players 3,000 Levels for NPC creation. However, all 9 of those bases were already conquered years ago by Guilds of great power, the castle in the Ice Town wasn't such place.

It was hardly noteworthy in the large scheme of things, the NPC that inhabited the town itself weren't even aggressive mobs, mostly Ice Sprites that served as merchants for miscellaneous Items, some Witch Hags that sold Potions and Poisons, Blacksmith Ice Trolls that sold weapons and armor, and Ice Dragonoid Soldiers that acted as policemen, alongside other Monsters doing other random jobs in the town. Only those soldiers were combat-oriented mobs, but only attacked when a Player attached first.

For beginners, it really was a vibrant town with lots of interesting stuff, assuming the Players either belonged to a Race immune to low temperatures or were properly equipped with Ice-immunity, but it was, at the end, a beginners' place. The Items, substances and gear the town sold ranged from Low-class to Top-class, and the Dragonoid Soldiers were merely Level 55 Monsters, it didn't hold a candle to the Frozen City located deeper in the realm of Niflheim, a place accessible only through a terrible blizzard so large that dwarfed mountains.

So, what made the castle located at the center of such unimpressive town a place worth spending the last day in YGGDRASIL? So unimpressive was the place that nobody attempted to conquer the Crystal Castle located at the center of the Ice Town, Players assumed that such a low-level place would have a low-level Boss, and whatever rewards they won, they would pale in comparison to the rewards of conquering higher-level places, like the aftermentioned Frozen City. No self-respecting Guild would waste time and resources in a low-level place like that, and for 12 years that place remained untouched.

That is, until these 5 Players attempted to conquer it for themselves, believing it to be so simple an affair that even an incomplete Party could do it. They were wrong. What from afar seemed like simple decorative statues for the Crystal Castle where actually Level 80 Prismatic Golems that attacked anyone who got near the castle, but the problem wasn't the Level 80 Prismatic Golems themselves, it was that everytime they successfully defeated one, some strange energy emanating from the castle would instantly fix it, and the battle of attrition would continue forever until they could figure out what was going on.

After their initial assault failed they teleported away and analyzed the situation. It was guarded by 7 different Golems, each a different color of the rainbow, and separated by an equal distance in a circular formation around the castle. It had 4 gates, one for each cardinal direction, but they always remained closed. They reached the conclusion that the gates would only open after the 7 Golems are defeated, and defeating them was relatively easy for 5 Level 100 Players, but the issue was that strange energy that fixed the Golems.

The strangest thing was that such energy only fixed the Golems after they were destroyed, not while they were near destruction, nor while they were chipping away the Golem's HP. They tried again, this time 4 went to destroy the Golems and 1 remained behind with magic binoculars that also recorded what the Player saw. After their second assault it became clear, after a Golem was destroyed, the castle absorbed energy from the other 6 Golems to rebuild the destroyed one. Only way to even get inside the Crystal Castle was to simultaneously destroy all 7 Prismatic Golems.

It was then and there that the 5 Players realized that they would never conquer that seemingly low-level dungeon. Not only were they short of 2 more Players, but if the gate guards were this level, what would be waiting for them inside? Granted, defeating the 7 Golems could be doable. Meitro was a specialized Summoner, with an EXP consuming Skill, he could call forth 3 Level 100 Monsters that could fight alongside the other 4 to help them destroy all Golems at the same time. While there was a 20 Level disparity, Golems like that were no joke, since the substance that the construct was made of mattered more than the Level of the Golem itself. A Level 80 Adamantite Golem was FAR stronger and sturdier than a Level 100 Wood Golem.

Those Golems were made of the Prismatic Ores, the highest grade metals in the whole game, the stuff Divine-class gear was made of. For a Level 100 Player, defeating a Level 80 Prismatic Golem by their lonesome was challenging, but possible, as long as they had Divine-class gear, good PvP skill and were willing to spend all their MP and Skills, and there laid the problem, those Golems guarded the door, just the friggin door! What would be waiting for them inside? Nobody in their sane mind would spend everything in just the opening mobs.

As expected, it took a real Clan of 20 or so Players to conquer the Crystal Castle, it seems there always is more to it than meets the eye in YGGDRASIL, had anyone know all this beforehand a young Clan would've conquered the castle time ago, for sure. Or at least, a Guild would've used it as an outpost of sorts. But, the 5 already knew at the time that such was the final year of the game, the greatest Guilds were either disbanded and dissolved, or reduced to a mere fraction of what they were, even the likes of Trinity, World Searcher and 2chan Alliance were reduced to nothing, that's why the 5 regressed to solo Players before coming across each other and forming their tiny Clan in the first place.

They lost all hope of ever conquering the place, that is, until it was announced that the final day of YGGDRASIL would have deactivated mobs everywhere. Even if they couldn't get the satisfaction of beating those accursed Golems, or anything in the castle, at the very least they wanted to know what potential riches would've waited the Players that conquered it. Also, the devs were specific about mobs, they said nothing about Bosses, so the Boss of the Crystal Castle may as well be active, so they were prepared for a big fight. After all, 80% of a dungeon's difficulty was the Boss, so if they could at least somehow defeat whoever was the leader of the Crystal Castle, they would say that the final day of YGGDRASIL was a very good day.

12:02:10

"We're here, Ice Town. Brings back memories."

"I wish we could stay, induce in nostalgia a bit."

"We can't? The game ends at 00:00:00, it's still...12:02:15, we have 12 hours to do what we want."

"We don't know how long our little raid will last. No mobs and hazards, yes, but we don't know what type of Boss is there, worst case scenario it ends in a Party Kill, and we would have to try again with weaker gear!"

"Oof, that would suck. At least can we scout out whatever is there, and prepare an appropriate strategy? Meitro, you can Summon Thief-type Demons right? I don't think it would hurt to be cautious, I don't want our final adventure to end in disaster."

"Yes, I think I can spare some low-level Summons to see beforehand what awaits us, we do have 12 hours after all, plenty of time to make a plan."

And so the 5 friends discussed the details of their final adventure while walking through the frozen streets of Ice Town in the cold and foggy realm of Niflheim. They really meant all mobs, even the non-aggressive merchants were frozen, as if the cold of their home world finally caught up to them, it was kinda sad, seeing this former hub of NPC activity like this. The 5 settled in a public plaza of the town, not so far from the center where the castle was, but it was still quite far away, the place had "Town" in the name, but it was actually quite large, about the size of a small city, still nothing compared with the Frozen City of course.

They spoke of many things besides their raid strategy, real life issues, best memories of the past, plans for the future, if the rumors of YGGDRASIL II were real or not was a very hot topic among them. Before they knew it, 2 hours passed, and now they only had 10 hours left before the servers closed. The leader of the mini-Clan, Asmodel, stood up and addressed his comrades.

"Okay then, we seem to have a concise plan: first we approach the Crystal Castle to verify that the Golems are inactive, and if we can enter the castle with the Golems in that state. If we can, we send some scouting Summons to verify if some dungeon hazards are still active or not. Meitro will summon some, but Anchelo and I will also send Summons to help with the reconnaissance. If the coast is clear, we move forward all the way to the Boss. If possible, we will send scouting Summons to the Boss chamber to at least verify some of its abilities."

Anchelo spoke next.

"If it turns out that it's one of those chambers that only allows Players and seals itself until the Boss is defeated, then we will have to gear ourselves up and make a leap of faith. Anything can be there, those shitty devs might have as well added a very powerful Fire Boss in that Ice-themed dungeon. No, I'm almost certain they did."

Teinu scoffed at it.

"Well, what if the shitty devs actually expected us to expect that, and added an Ice Boss? Or something totally random and unrelated to this realm."

Ragnar added his thoughts.

"In any case, non-elemental gear may be the safe bet for you 3. If it turns out that you do have equipment that is effective against whatever Boss is there, Meitro and I will give you time to re-equip."

Ragnar could say that because he was a Barbarian whose only weaponry were massive non-elemental axes, he never has to waste time pondering what gear may be more effective for what, since all he has to do is destroy whatever is thrown at him with brute force. Normally, re-equipping in the middle of a heated battle is impossible, but the reason he's so confident in his ability of distracting the Boss away from them is because they can also count on their Summoner.

Meitro, like Ragnar, never pondered with gear, he is the opposite of a brute force frontliner, he is a Summoner who sends high-level Monsters to fight on his stead, and all of his gear is invested in the strengthening of his Summons, and very specific Summons too, so while traditional Summoners also have specific gear for enhancing specific Monsters, Meitro calls forth Demons, and only Demons, thus investing gear in anything else is a total waste to him.

Meitro gave a small nod and said his mind.

"Count on us, if you do need to re-equip, Ragnar and my Summons will give you the time you need."

"It's settled then! When are we ready to go? We have...around 10 hours left."

Said Asmodel in a very cheery tone. The depressed man that will see his friends for the last time is gone, in his stead was a determined and quite excited Player that is ready to have the best final raid with his best friends

15:02:41

Just to be sure, Meitro sent a Summon to scout the Golems themselves, as they expected, they were deactivated, but the doors remained closed. If it turns out the doors wouldn't open even on the last day, then they came here for nothing. In that case, perhaps they could try to wake the Golems, and destroy them for good as their last adventure together? That worry was unnecessary, since the doors of the Crystal Castle opined for them when they got close enough, seems there's little difference between a permanently deactivated Golem and a destroyed one.

The scene inside the castle was one to behold, the place inside was actually larger than what it seemed outside, like the 10th Tier Spell [Create Fortress], the temperature inside was warmer than outside too, and it was fully adorned with art pieces like chandeliers, Dragon-shaped statues, and even some furniture, all made of colorful crystal. It was quite beautiful, made the 5 Players temporary forget that they were on a raid mission, but the amazement died down in a bit and they proceeded with their plan.

"[Summon Demon 6th Tier]"

What Meitro called forth was a Shadow Eyeball Fiend, a Level 40 Thief-type Monster that had nice evasion and invisibility Skills.

"[Demon Slave Sight]"

That Spell allows Meitro to see what the Fiend could see, and then ordered it to move forward.

Next was Anchelo, he used [Summon Angel 6th Tier] to call forth a Virtue Oracle, this Level 42 Angel had a telescopic eyesight, could see through solid objects and low-level invisibility, as well as cast some 6th Tier Spells. He then used the holy counterpart of Meitro's sight-sharing Spell, [Linked Soul], to see what the Virtue could see.

Asmodel Summoned a Level 40 Monster as well, and used a sight-sharing Spell too.

After some minutes the 3 Magic Casters confirmed that all the mobs and dungeon hazards were off, and even found the way to the Boss chamber as well which was in the 15th Floor, the highest one. They had over 9 hours till the servers shutdown so there was no hurry in their pace, they occasionally stopped to appreciate some crystal scenery, or to see some of the frozen mobs that would've attacked them had they successfully defeated the Prismatic Golems and entered the castle in the past.

15:25:17

"Okay, enough sightseeing then? We ready now for this?"

Anchelo was eager to go. He wasn't someone who didn't appreciated the beautiful sceneries of the game, he was simply a no-nonsense person that went to the point, he knew perfectly well that his friends could stare at the crystal art pieces and frozen Monsters all they wanted after they took care of the Boss, and he was starting to lose his cool. His friends knew him very well, so they understood their Half-Celestial mate was growing impatient, so they stopped what they were doing and the 5 went straight to the Boss chamber.

It was as they expected, at the highest peak of the Crystal Castle there was a teleportation circle that only allowed Players to reach the Boss, they couldn't send a Summon to verify what type of Boss expected them, or if the Boss was even active in the first place.

But they were ready, Ragnar was stacking physical buffs on himself and activated some of his magical tattoos while holding his twin onyx axes [Modi and Magni].

Meitro readied his trusty staff, [Witness of Treachery], and used one of his limited daily use Skills to bring forth a Level 95 Abysmal King, a Commander-type Monster that gave huge stat boosts to any other Demon called forth by its Summoner, the boost was even bigger if the Summoner had Negative Karma, Meitro enjoyed to call this Monster before using his favorite 10th Tier Spell, [Armageddon - Evil], the stat boost granted by the Abysmal King combined with his own Summoner buffs provided by both his Racial and Job Classes, as well as his gear, created a truly monstrous combination.

Teinu unsheated both katanas, [Raijin and Fūjin], which started to vibrate with electrical fire, and activated some buffing Skills too.

Anchelo took out his pure white mace [Metatron], both it and the full plate armor begun to give off a faint glow. And lastly, their leader.

Asmodel, the Redeemed Battle Mage.

They were 3 subtypes of the Mystic Warrior hybrid archetype, there were the Spellblades, who were Warriors first and Arcane Mages second, Battle Mages like Asmodel, who were Arcane Mages first and Warriors second, and then Eldritch Knights, who were the perfect balance between Arcane Magic and weapons. Mystic Warriors were quite common in YGGDRASIL, what made Asmodel uncommon however was his Race.

Redeemed were almost unheard of, despite the considerable amount of Demon Players, not many were willing to acquire that Racial Class, since unlocking the [Redeemed] Class had very specific and hard to fulfill requisites. First, you need to have at least 30 Racial Levels in Demon Classes, and 50 Job Levels in any Classes, for a minimum total of Level 80. That is simple enough, however, you also need to have maxed out Positive Karma, something very difficult to do if you belong to the Demon Race. The Race change Item known as Heaven's Feather was necessary too, but those steps were still easy in comparison to the fourth and final requisite, carry out an Ascension Ceremony "powered" by 5 Angel Players of similar or higher Level.

Basically, a Level 80 Demon had to be a goodie-two-shoes and be buds with 5 Angels of at least Level 80. From the get go sounds like unnecessary trouble, if you want to play as a Holy Race, why not be an Angel from the beginning? Why go to all the hassle of becoming a Pseudo-Angel? Redeemed looked a bit like Angels yes, but they weren't. Half-Celestials like Anchelo were closer to real Angels than Redeemed like Asmodel were, and the same could be said of the Redeemed's antithesis, the Fallen, almost no Angel Player wanted to build up their Negative Karma all the way to -500, nor associate themselves with Demon Players of similar Level, so both the [Redeemed] and [Fallen] Racial Classes were rare in YGGDRASIL.

But Asmodel wasn't like most Players, with 2 pairs of pale gray feathered wings on his back, bronze skin, pupil-less orange eyes with sapphire blue sclera, a third vertical eye in his forehead, raven black hair, and what seems like scars of ripped out horns on his forehead. Above his head there was a smoky white halo, the skin around his eyes had slightly bulging veins, and if you could see behind his equipment you would see that most parts of his body, basically the arms, legs, neck and torso had burn marks with the shape of chains, a mark of the repent of his sins (or so the fluff said). The later was an important visual aspect of the Redeemed, so Players couldn't get rid of the chain marks no matter how much they tried to customize.

Avatar aside, his gear is what you would expect from a Mystic Warrior that is more magic inclined, he was covered from neck to toe with loose black clothes, and on top had an amethyst-colored chest plate with a diamond-shaped opal in the center, his forearms and legs were also covered with similar armor, and also had an opal-colored magic belt with a red cape attached. Normal capes usually hang from the neck and shoulders to cover the whole back, but Asmodel has 4 wings that would get in the way of a cape, so instead he has a small red cape with white flower drawings etched on it that hangs from his waist to cover the back of his lower body. The after mentioned scars of ripped out horns were partially eclipsed by a golden thin diadem adorned with small jewels that was custom made to not cover his third eye.

Like his fellow Magic Caster Meitro, Asmodel also has all his full fingers stacked with rings, 9 of those were the ones a typical Level 100 Mage would have, but 1 of those was instead a ring that enhanced his physical abilities and Warrior Skills. Normally, rings are Mage gear, and while Battle Mages are indeed Magic Casters first and Warriors second, Asmodel still felt bad for neglecting the few Warrior Skills he had while making his equipment, and since he also felt that the ability to wear armour thanks to his hybrid Job Classes wasn't good enough, he custom made a ring to supplement Warrior abilities. He then took out his favorite weapon, [Tolkien], named after his favorite fantasy writer, this ebony staff had ruby-colored marks adorning it, and a pure white oval diamond floating on its tip.

Each of the 5 used to belong to a top-tier Guild before their slow dissolvings, thus even though they were reduced to solo Players for a while before forming their little Clan, all 5 were fully stacked with Divine-class gear. They needed every advantage they could get in front of this unknown Boss, and today was the final day, so no one was going to pull back any punches, they will fight this battle like there's no tomorrow (because there really isn't for the game), Cash-Shop Items, EXP consuming Skills, even overloading their weapons to the point of destruction, nothing will be excluded, they will end their final team battle with a bang!

"You ready? Let's go!"

The 5 jumped into the circle and were teleported into the Boss chamber. Nobody among them was expecting what they saw.

**And here ends the first half, if you want to know what happens next then you can check the second half right away.**

**I wanna thank you for reading all the way here, I know Player OCs aren't that welcome in the Overlord community, so I'm doing my best to write them in the most believable and non-forced way. **


	2. Chapter 2: Prologue (Second Half)

**And here's the second half of the Prologue, not much to say here, so I hope you enjoy the rest.**

Chapter 2: Prologue (Second Half)

The expressions of their Avatars didn't change, but all 5 had their eyes wide open. The place they arrived at after they stepped into the circle wasn't a chamber, it was actually an open space where you could see the foggy skies, at least they were still in Niflheim. What told them exactly where they were was the fact they were falling, below them they could see Ice Town from a very big height, the Crystal Castle was a tiny spec in the distance, the circle teleported them to the upper atmosphere of the realm!

"WHAT THE HELL!"

"We were sent to the sky!?"

The shock was temporal of course, all 5 were hardcore gamers who have been through heaven and hell with their former Guilds and with each other, something like this isn't gonna break their resolve. Asmodel and Anchelo spread their feathered wings, and Ragnar unleashed his membrane wings, Racial traits that allowed flight without Spells, Teinu can use the low-level Fighter Skill [Air Step], and Meitro could perpetually sustain that Spell without any issue since his MP regeneration far outstripped the consumption.

"So that's all we had to do in order to reach the Boss? Fly up to the atmosphere?"

"I doubt it, the shitty devs would never make something that easy, perhaps stepping in the circle awakened whatever Boss we will face, and without doing that the Boss wouldn't show up."

"That must be it, look, that mass of fog is growing and changing color."

Above the Players a huge foggy blob was becoming bigger and green, it started to resemble a bird of sorts, and at the same time the surrounding skies begun to darken, thunder could be heard and lightning could be seen, and a very strong hail storm begun to blow. With a screech, the foggy mass transformed into a giant emerald-green bird with 4 wings and 2 heads, it resembled an eagle, the beaks were jagged, and each head had a crest made of lightning. It opened one beak, and spoke.

"Who dares destroy my Guardian Golems, step into my castle to annihilate the guests of my home, and invade my personal skies!?"

The other beak continued.

"Filthy thieves who only seek to take what isn't yours, you will pay for this!"

The Giant Eagle spread its wings as a clear sign that the battle begun, and the surrounding weather became more aggressive in response, seems this is a Boss that uses the environment to its advantage.

"...seems nobody told bird brain here that all mobs will be frozen today, complain to the shitty devs not us!"

"So a Boss that uses wind, ice, lightning and who knows what else. As we expected, element specific gear won't give us any edge, we will have to bring it down the old-fashioned way."

"I like the old-fashioned way, hit it till is dead, simple enough."

Fitting words for a Barbarian.

"Leader, do the honors!"

"You don't mind? Alright then, I'll attack firs-woah!"

They got a bit too relaxed, chatting idly while having a Boss in front of them. The Giant Eagle sent a wave of lightning bolts the 5 barely dodged, they couldn't dodge the second wave however, the battle just begun and they already took damage.

"[Widen Maximize Magic - Greatest Sacred Heal]"

Anchelo used the 10th Tier Divine Spell to heal his friends and even the Abysmal King besides Meitro, that attack was the faceslap they needed to take this seriously.

"[Triplet Maximize Magic - Reality Slash]"

That was the most damaging 10th Tier Arcane Spell, Asmodel shoot out 3 dimensional blades that pierced the Giant Eagle's body, followed by Teinu's and Ragnar's attack.

"[Skill - X-Cross]"

"[Skill - Giant King's Strike]"

The Swordsman shoot out a combined sword slash and the Barbarian hit the Boss directly with his massive axes, if they had a skilled Tank among them then they could potentially control the Aggro of the Boss, but no such Player mong them, hence they had to fight as cautiously as they could to avoid a Party Kill, but still had no intention of holding anything back.

"[Maximize Magic - Stream of Lava]"

"[Armageddon - Evil]"

Anchelo followed up with a fire Spell while Meitro immediately casted the Spell he Summoned the Abysmal King for. Without a Tank, redirecting the Boss' Aggro with disposable Summons was the best option they had available for them, even if just a little.

Darkness gathered around Meitro and formed a swirling vortex, then, a gurgling sound came from bubble-like objects around him, and Demons were born from the Abyss. The first to appear were Monsters around Level 10 called Inferior Demons, the first word that came to mind when you looked at them was "deformed", their heads were swollen, their left arms were unnaturally thin, their massive right arms were made of several tentacles twined together, and their legs were of different lengths. They had no sexual dimorphism of any kind, and yellow pus oozed from countless small holes all over their bodies. Level 10 Monsters were beyond worthless against a Boss, but Meitro's buffs and the Abysmal King's stat boosts raised the power of these Inferior Demons to a realm far, far above Level 10, still inconsequential to a Boss, but what they lacked in strength they compensated in numbers.

They were 128 of those Monsters, but they were mindless though, so Meitro had no control over them, instead they attacked everything in sight. Meitro was their Summoner, the Abysmal King was a fellow Summon, and the other 4 Players were under the protection of friendly fire, so the only target they could unleash their fury on was the Giant Eagle. And unleash their fury they did, the heavily buffed Monsters attacked the Boss in a blind rage, slowly but steadily chopping off the Giant Eagle's incredibly huge HP bar little-by-little, meanwhile the others wasted no time and attacked the Giant Eagle as well.

"[Skill - Purifying Javelin]"

"[Skill - Mountain Cleaver]"

"[Skill - Twin Solar Wave]"

"[Triplet Maximize Magic - Gravity Maelstrom]"

Just like how they were protected from the Inferior Demons by the friendly fire, the Monsters too were protected by it, so they could fire their Skills and Spells without worry of destroying them.

"Feel my wrath, worthless invaders!"

The Giant Eagle opened both beaks, in one, a concentrated mass of wind and ice was forming, and in the other a mass of wind and lightning. At that moment, the bubble-like objects of [Armageddon - Evil] formed into a vortex again, and now Demons of around Level 20 appeared, Hell Scythes. These Demons looked like a fusion between Humans, praying mantises, and other creatures, their gigantic scythes shone with a steely glint, and they were coated in poison. They were 64 of them, and just like the Inferior Demons they too were heavily buffed by both their Summoner and their fellow Summon the Abysmal King, making them far deadlier than Level 20 Monsters.

They joined the assault against the Giant Eagle, but a good chunk of them and of the Inferior Demons was annihilated by the twin elemental beams fired by the Boss, beams that just managed to slightly graze the 5 Players who dodged them as fast as they could, but that was enough to cause them considerable damage and lose a chunk of HP, what if the beams managed a direct hit? Better not think about it.

"[Widen Maximize Magic - Greatest Sacred Heal]"

Anchelo once again healed his allies, and this time they all drank a healing Potion to make sure they were back to full health. Truth was, the Giant Eagle wasn't their only concern, up there where they were fighting there was a perpetual hail storm, a storm that was slowly chipping away their HP just because they were there! Normal environmental hail would never even scratch a fully equipped Level 100, so it must be some sort of Boss ability that either enhances or creates special hail. They had a zone disadvantage, that much was clear.

"[Maximize Magic - Brilliant Radiance]"

"[Skill - Hammer of Thor]"

"[Skill - Masamune]"

"[Triplet Maximize Magic - Reality Slash]"

Asmodel knew he couldn't be economizing his MP since a prolonged fight isn't advantageous to them, so he fired the dimensional blades despite the high mana cost, since [Reality Slash] was the most damaging 10th Tier Spell it burned more MP than other Spells of the same Tier. Even Meitro was casting Spells himself now.

"[Triplet Maximize Boost Magic - Magic Arrow]"

Since his strength was on his ability to Summon and buff, Meitro used meta-magic to enhance a 1st Tier Spell and make it as powerful as a 10th Tier Spell since his MP was better used to call forth and buff Summons when needed. And that was what he was about to do since black bubbles begun to form around him again, and from them emerged Demons of around Level 30 or so, Rotting Demons. They were over 2 meters tall, with tarry black skin that resembled bubbling swamps. The bubbles rose to the surface and burst, releasing a yellow mist. They were 32 of them. These Demons had no wings, so Meitro had to cast [Mass Fly] on them to keep them afloat, then he cast another Spell.

"[Widen Magic - Greatest Strength]"

Another heavy buff on top, one that not only enhanced his Summons but his friends too! That buffing Spell however only raised physical stats, but even their more specialized Magic Caster was a Battle Mage that had a degree of ability with melee fights and some Warrior Skills, so it wasn't wasted. Asmodel even took out a Divine-class sword from his Item Box to use his Skill.

"[Skill - Purifying Javelin]"

"[Skill - Mountain Cleaver]"

"[Skill - Masamune]"

"[Skill - Moon-Cutting Fang]"

Those were the most powerful attack Skills the 4 combat-oriented Players had in their arsenal, as high-level Skills, they had 3 limited daily uses, Anchelo only had 1 [Purifying Javelin] left, same as Ragnar's [Mountain Cleaver] and Teinu's [Masamune]. Asmodel still had 2 [Moon-Cutting Fang] left however, but instead of saving them he used them up before the strength buff disappeared, and placed his sword again in his inventory.

It's true that Mystic Warriors have proficiency in melee, if Asmodel were an Eldritch Knight, or a Spellblade, then he would rely more on his Warrior Skills, but alas, he's a Battle Mage, his Warrior Skills pale in comparison with his Spells, he's better off leaving his friends to handle the melee. Heck, even a normal attack from Ragnar outstrips the DPS of his low-level Warrior Skills!

After them, the freshly Summoned and heavily buffed Demons bombarded the Giant Eagle with rotting gas, making that huge HP bar decrease at a slightly faster rate. The Boss continued to send waves of lightning bolts towards them, but the 5 already memorized the attack pattern so dodging them became easier, each wave would decrease the number of attacking Demons however.

It would also occasionally send cutting gusts of wind from the wings, totally random, so they were difficult to dodge and hard to deal with, not to mention the pesky hail storm. They were quickly burning through their Potions and recovery Items, but they were resolved to beat this Boss no matter the cost, depleting their Items didn't worried them as much as running out before before the Giant Eagle was defeated.

The black bubbles appeared again, and the Demons which appeared this time were around Level 40, Supplicants. They had female bodies with long hair and blueish-white skin, and that alone would not make one think that they were Demons. However, their eyes, noses and mouths were all sewn up with thread, and their hands were also sewn together as though begging the Gods for mercy. There were 8 of them. They too lacked wings, so Meitro once again casted [Mass Fly] on his Summons.

The Inferior Demons and Hell Scythes were all destroyed now, if not by the Boss, then the hail storm took care of them for sure, the Supplicants could only join the Rotting Demons as the Monsters that redirected the Giant Eagle's Aggro and slowly chipped away its health while the 5 Players bombarded it with attacks.

At that time the Boss now only had 2/3 of its HP, and the attack pattern changed, instead of shooting lightning bolts and cutting gusts, the Giant Eagle formed large tornadoes around the area which were constantly following them, and part of the hail from the storm begun to form into an array of large ice swords that hung behind the Boss. After forming, the ice swords somehow ingnited in blue fire and pointed themselves towards the Party, they knew what that meant. Their leader reacted immediately.

"Behind me! [Triplet Maximize Magic - Black Hole]"

Asmodel grabbed his ebony staff with with both hands and activated [Tolkien]'s magic buff, and in front of him appeared 3 small points, which slowly enlarged into yawning black voids that swallowed the flaming ice blades that would've otherwise striked them. Some blades weren't swallowed however, they simply passed by their side, and luckily for them the projectiles lacked any tracking ability. The tornadoes did however, but they were just a hindrance, that dangerous elemental breath attack becoming more frequent was the real issue.

More black bubbles from [Armageddon - Evil] spewed forth, and the Demons which appeared this time were around Level 50, War Devils. They were Monsters who wore full plate armor and looked like Warriors, they held bastard swords wreathed in black hellfire, and their black wings protuded from their armor, they were 4 of them. They, like their fellow Summon the Abysmal King, also possessed a Commander-type buff which improved the abilities of all summoned Demons, so the remaining Rotting Demons and Supplicants had even more buffs stacked on them, which slightly increased the speed of the Boss' HP decrease, it was still very little compared to the damage the Players made, but damaging the Boss didn't mattered as much as spreading the Aggro between several targets instead of just the 5.

After a while, the bubbles resurfaced, and this time 2 Level 60 or so Pitspawn Brutes came forth. They looked like hairless gorillas with large horns on their heads and spikes protruding from their backs, you could see flaming rage in their eyes, as they were Barbarian Monsters that used their huge bone axes to crush anything in their path. These Demons also lacked wings, but Meitro already knew that and used the Spell again to keep them in the air. Unlike the Rotting Demons and Supplicants however, the Pitspawn Brutes couldn't get buffed by the War Devils, since buffing a higher-level entity is impossible, so the buffs from their Summoner and Abysmal King will have to suffice.

The Players got even more aggressive in their assault, using every consumable and Cash-Shop Item they had in their inventory to bring down the Giant Eagle fast, since they were perfectly aware that it was a miracle that an incomplete Party hasn't been wiped out already, but the battle was growing more and more difficult, so they wanted to end this before their luck runs out.

And when the health of the Boss was finally cut in half was when the final bubbles of [Armageddon - Evil] came forth, this final time they called a single Level 70 Underworld Sage. This Demon was covered in a dark robe of sorts, had a red staff that seemed to be made of withered wood, and near it there was a floating black cover grimoire that had it's pages opened for the Sage to read. This final Monster had very high MAG stats and could cast 10th Tier Spells, combined with the buffs and boosts those Spells were incredibly deadly, not as much as Super-Tier Spells of course.

This final Demon added a new member to the small army of 5 Players, Rotting Demons, Suppliants, War Devils and Pitspawn Brutes that were raining attacks non-stop while barely dodging the Boss' lethal attacks and continuously replenishing their health from the pesky hailstorm, and finally, the Giant Eagle's HP was reduced to 1/3.

The pattern changed once again, the tornadoes dissipated, but the hailstorm became faster and stronger, chipping away their HP at an alarming rate. Asmodel spoke in a high tone to make sure his voice was heard through the strong wind noises.

"This is bad, we can't just keep ignoring it and drink Potions! Everyone, shield yourselves! Raise your DEF stats as much as you can!"

Ragnar activated his daily one-time use Item, [Monster King Necklace], to coat his body in a second exoskeleton of enchanted stone. Anchelo, Meitro and Asmodel added several defensive Racial Skills and Spells on themselves. And Teinu replaced his leather armor with a full plate armor, his defense raised exponentially, but his speed was reduced. Now the hailstorm was tolerable once more, and they could focus on the Boss again.

"What is...what is the Boss doing?"

The Giant Eagle rolled itself up and a wind shield formed around it, at that moment its 4 eyes begun to glow crimson red, and around the Boss several high-level Monsters begun to take shape. 5 Level 80 Lightning Dragons, 3 Level 85 Flaming Phoenix, and 2 Level 90 Primal Air Elementals. The Boss was stationary inside its wind shield, but those new Monsters would be a problem, 5 vs 10 would hardly be easy despite the Level disparity, and the 3 melee oriented Players already exhausted their high-level Skills, but luckily for them they had a very skilled Summoner that could return numbers with numbers of their own.

Granted, the remaining Demons are nothing to those Monsters despite the heavy buffs, and the Level 95 Abysmal King is a Commander-type with combat ability that is merely on par with a Level 90 Monster, but Meitro hasn't shown all his cards yet, the Players still had something up their sleeves that they have saved up till now, not because of lack of resolve, but because the cost made it way to reckless to use until now, EXP consuming Skills.

Those Skills were far more powerful that even high-level Skills, though they usually weren't as effective as trump cards during PvP, battles against Bosses were more PvE than PvP. However, sacrificing EXP for attacks that were beyond devastating ran the risk of losing Levels if used to frequently, and fighting a Boss like the Giant Eagle at Level 99 or 98 with only a 5 Players Party was nothing short of dumb suicide. But now, when the Boss only had of its HP left, they could afford the risk if it meant finishing this battle before the battle finished them, they would NOT allow a defeat to be their final memory of YGGDRASIL. But first, they had to take care of the 10 Monsters, so Meitro went first.

"[Apocalypse Trumpet - Underworld]"

The Unholy counterpart of [Apocalypse Trumpet - Paradise], this was a Racial Skill that high-level Demon Players could use by sacrificing a good chunk of EXP, regardless of what Job Classes they took to make their build they could Summon Level 100 Balor Overlord, the difference however was the strength and numbers of the Summons. If the Player took Warrior, Thief, or other non-Magic Caster Job Classes, then that Skill would only Summon 1 of those Monsters. If the Player took Magic Caster Job Classes instead, then the Skill would bring forth 2 Monsters, and slightly stronger as well. If those Job Classes are Summoner Classes specifically, then the Skill will call 3 of those Monsters, and far stronger than they would be with common Mage Classes.

"I'm not done yet!"

While his 4 friends were fending off the Boss' Monsters with the Abysmal King and Balor Overlords, Meitro casted a Spell this time. Several magic circles appeared around him, he then took an hourglass from his inventory and crushed it, and the Super-Tier Spell [Pandemonium] immediately activated. Around him 6 pillars of darkness appeared and later dissipated, in their stead there were 6 Level 80 Demons, Nalfeshnee Jailers.

Now with 3 Level 100, 6 Level 80 and one on par with a Level 90, the Players' Monsters could fend of the Giant Eagle's Monsters, now all that remained was finish off the Boss before it could worsen the environment even more, Summon stronger and more numerous Monsters than the previous ones, or both things.

"I will break the wind shield, if one Skill doesn't, then a second one most likely will, then you must rain hell on the undefended Boss, is now or never!"

"Yes!"

His friends' response was swift and determined, their confidence filled Asmodel with confidence of his own, they could do this, they will do this!

"[Deus Chasma]"

Among his arsenal of EXP consuming Skills, this was the one with the greatest Burst Damage, and if this Skill couldn't break the wind shield, then the DPS of [Natura Impes] surely would. All 5 of them prepared for this day by grinding without limit, making sure that their excess EXP bar was filled to the brim so they wouldn't be limited to just 1 Skill. Some Skills costed more EXP than others, but each of them could at least use 2 of their most powerful EXP consuming Skills without reverting to Level 99.

Asmodel spread his arms and an enormous crack appeared above them, that crack opened and from it you could see inside it an enormous meteor becoming larger each instant. This Skill was a much, MUCH powerful version of the 10th Tier Spell [Meteor Fall]. The meteor hit the wind shield protecting the Boss and destroyed it like the thin shell of an egg, the overwhelming impact even made a number on the surrounding Monsters the Boss summoned, and the Giant Eagle itself was far from unscratched. This was the endgame, the Boss was attempting to do something, but Asmodel wouldn't let it.

"[Bind of Repent]"

This was a Racial Skill that he got after acquiring the [Redeemed] Racial Class. If you could see behind his armor, you would see that the chain marks on Asmodel's body (well, his game Avatar's) were glowing in a dim light, then they flared up in divine fire before spectral chains emanated from those burn marks on his neck, torso, arms and legs. In contrast to his pale gray wings and smoky halo, these chains glowed in a pure white light which truly gave a divine imagery.

Those chains, as if having a mind of their own, soon elongated and fired themselves towards the Giant Eagle, enveloping and binding it like an imprisoned animal in a hunter's trap. Asmodel assumed this binding Skill was the reason the chain-shaped burn marks couldn't be removed from his game Avatar even with Cash-Shop customizing Items. This Skill was specially effective against enemies with Negative Karma, and with the effects that several Holy Spells and Skills that Anchelo used against it during the fight they could conclude that the Boss was Evil aligned, and the fact that his chains could impeed its movements confimed it. The Skill's description said:

[This chains, which the benevolent Gods forged from the evil purged from the heart of the former Devil that weilds them, follow and bind any sinful being that harbors darkness in its heart. However, if the now redeemed child of the Abyss attempts to strike a virtuous being with them, the Heavens will punish its insolence]

A melodramatic and edgy way of saying that while it's very effective against enemies with Negative Karma, he will receive a heavy penalty if he attempts to bind an enemy with Positive Karma. The Skill had its cost of course, the binding lasts as long as his MP does, and while he has a very ample supply of it, the long battle has almost drained him dry. In that case, why use it? Because Asmodel trusts his friends with his life.

"[Transfer Mana]"

The Half-Celestial Cleric flew to him and transferred all the MP he had left, Divine Casters are able to transfer their MP to any recipient of their choosing, and Anchelo could stay afloat with winged flight so he doesn't need Spells to remain afloat. Now the Giant Eagle could do nothing but stay still and let this "worthless thieves" rain hell on it. Teinu went next.

"[Hakkyōshinken]"

8 Japanese kanji appeared around the Swordsman, each saying "North", "Northeast", "East", "Southeast", "South", "Southwest", "West", and "Northwest" in clockwork direction. Because of the full plate armor he had on to shield himself from the hail storm his speed was low, but no need to buff his speed stats since his enemy was immovable, so instead he stacked Skills to buff his strength and DPS, which further enhanced the already big DPS of [Hakkyōshinken] (Eight Mirror Divine Sword). Teinu threw himself towards the chained eagle and unleashed swords slashes from all 8 directions in blinding speed, the Boss' health was dropping faster than ever.

Ragnar was in the midst stacking a considerable amount of buffing Skills on himself, as a Barbarian he depended on his brute strength more than his companions, so he had plenty of Skills to increase it beyond their limit, it would take a little while so Anchelo was next.

"[Crucesignatis]"

His plate armor and 2 wings begun to glow more intensely than before, it kind of looked like Anchelo became a Primal Light Elemental. This was in its core a Skill that increased all his base stats, enhanced the properties of his equipment and even multiplied the attack power of any Spell and Skill he used in this state. This looks extremely simplistic and not flashy enough for an EXP consuming Skill, but sometimes less is more, and for a Player that has such a well optimized build, minmaxed gear, and incredible PvP skill, such Skill is more than enough to turn him into the embodiment of the Wrath of God.

He threw himself into the Giant Eagle and smashed [Metatron] in its chest, behind each neck, each joint, even the Bosses were susceptible to critical damage in specific parts of their body, and while Anchelo ran out of high-level Skills, [Crucesignatis] enhanced the power of even mid-level Skills to a level above high-level Skills, and his Divine-class ivory mace was enhanced by it too. That huge HP bar was now a candle in the storm, waiting to be snuffed out.

At that moment, the final Monster summoned by the Giant Eagle was finally destroyed, so now all 10 Demons were joining Teinu and Anchelo in their assault, even Meitro was firing maximized 10th Tier Spells at the Boss. They don't have to worry about destroying the chain and set the Boss free since it's a sprectral, non-physical chain, those constructs can affect you, but you can't affect them, only magical attacks aimed at them can destroy such constructs, but created objects are still under the protection of friendly fire.

And while the Monsters summoned by Meitro (and Meitro himself) had maxed out Negative Karma, they too were protected by the friendly fire, so the [Bind of Repent] did nothing to them either. Truth was, that binding Skill could indeed chain up to 10 enemies with Negative Karma simultaneously, but obviously that meant the MP drain would be 10 times faster, Asmodel couldn't do such a feat for more than a few seconds even with his MP bar full.

The Giant Eagle's HP was now in the red, and it was trashing violently, it seemed that it was trying to fire some attack, but the chain also prevented the imprisoned from using any Spell or Skill, and Asmodel's MP that he received from Anchelo could still afford them all the seconds they needed for Ragnar to deliver the Coup de Grâce. And right on time, the Insect Barbarian stacked up all the buffs he had, even low and mid-level buffs where on the table, and activated this battle's final attack.

"[Ymir Reiði]"

Behind them the upper half of an spectral Giant manifested itself, he had bluish skin, long white hair and beard, pure white eyes, and on each side of his head there was a giant tusk that curved itself downward. This was Ymir, the primordial Jötun and ancestor of all Giants.

This EXP consuming Skill was famous for its bludgeoning Burst Damage, and many Barbarian Players liked to say that only bludgeoning weapons like hammers and maces could bring its full potential, others said that those weapon types added a Burst Damage bonus or some sort of multiplier. However, all those statements were just popular Player myths, it doesn't matters what type of weapon the Barbarian uses, be it piercing type like spears and stilettos or slashing type like swords and axes, the damage would be the same as it would be with a bludgeoning weapon, same as the [Hammer of Thor] Skill.

The Giant readied his fist to strike the moment Ragnar lifted his axes, and he lunched his fist towards the Giant Eagle the same moment Ragnar lunched himself at it, and at that moment.

"[Greatest Strength]"

Meitro casted the same buff on Ragnar as he did before, but buffs concentrated on a single target are more potent than those spread between several, so the enhancing of strength was much bigger than before. The nice stats Ragnar built up with his Insect Racial Levels and Barbarian Job Levels, plus the stats boost of his magical tattoos and Divine-class gear, plus every single buffing Skill he had in his arsenal activated at the same time, plus Meitro's Spell, all of it adding to [Ymir Reiði] resulted in a Burst Damage attack that was the true embodiment of every single meaning of the word "immeasurable".

The Giant spectral fist and the twin onyx axes striked the Giant Eagle at the same time. The impact was deafening. The shock wave pushed both the environmental hail and the tempestuous winds over 100 meters away in all directions. Not even 5 seconds passed before the Boss started to deteriorate, its feathers were slowly, then quickly, falling. Before becoming dust, the Giant Eagle weakly said its last words.

"So it ends...you destroyed me...the master of the Crystal Castle..."

The other head finished it.

"Now the Crystal...Castle...with their residents...and guardians...are yours..."

The Giant Eagle didn't even left a corpse behind, not that they could enjoy the materials anyway. With nothing to hold, the chains returned to Asmodel's body, and in the place where the Boss used to be there now was a golden star floating in its place. It seems that the environment calmed itself now. A few seconds passed before someone broke the silence.

"We did it, we really did it! We conquered the Crystal Castle!"

The small wave of cheers and congratulations carried on for a while, they really did it, they defeated a Dungeon Boss with an incomplete Party, and made their final memory of the game a happy one! Now all that is left is to properly take possession of the castle. Granted they would only be their masters for what remains of the day, but at least they will end YGGDRASIL as the only ones who conquered the Crystal Castle.

"So, leader, go ahead, do the honors."

"You don't mind? Ragnar here delivered the finishing blow, shouldn't he take the star?"

"I could only deliver that blow because you held it in place, that Skill is strong, but slow. Without you it wouldn't have worked!"

"Well, I couldn't have held it in place that long without Anchelo's MP, so shouldn't he-"

"Come on, what would've been the point of my MP if you didn't had that Skill in the first place?"

"Just take it already! I wanna see what goodies that castle has before never seeing it again after today."

Despite Teinu's fatalistic words, no one felt sad, since they already accepted the fact today is the final day, so no better time than now to see what could've been their Clan base had they successfully conquered this place in the past. Asmodel took the golden star the Boss dropped, and they were immediately teleported back inside the Crystal Castle, a sealed room they didn't saw before while scouting the place.

It was very large, but empty, just the crystal walls, floor and roof, as well as some stairs to an elevated place which lead to the only point of interest in the room, a star-shaped empty slot in one of the walls, very high near the roof. Asmodel flew up there and placed the star in the slot, and then, the room begun to transform. In the elevated place, below the slot which harbored the star, a crystal throne took shape, large glass windows appeared on the walls facing left and right to the throne with vista to Ice Town, as well as the roof which made the foggy skies of Niflheim fully visible, and on the wall opposite to the throne is where a large door took shape.

At that moment a scroll appeared in the seat of the throne, obviously the ownership deed of the Crystal Castle. Asmodel took a quick glance to his friends who were still in the center of the room.

"What you waiting for?"

They told him, so he had no choice but take the scroll and read its contents, he turned around to face his friends, and read the scroll aloud so they could hear him.

"[Congratulations on conquering the Crystal Castle, you have earned the ownership rights to the Clan Base: Crystal Castle]"

"Oh, so this really was just meant for a Clan after all, not really a full fledged Guild."

"Not surprising, 2 or 3 Parties consisting of maxed out Players would've breezed this place, Prismatic Golems and all."

"True, they wouldn't even need to be maxed out either, nor stacked with Divine-class gear."

"If bozos like us could do it, then a real Clan wouldn't even had broken a sweat."

They all laughed a bit at that bad joke, but it was true. Even the most basic Clans in YGGDRASIL consisted of around 20 Players, 15 or less members wouldn't even be called Clan, sometimes just incomplete Clans. 5 Players didn't even formed a Party, even they didn't took themselves seriously when they addressed their little group as "Clan".

Their victory over the Dungeon Boss was because of their willingness to spend every single consumable and gacha Item they had, as well as no fear of losing Levels if that meant winning. Also, it's very likely that Boss was designed with several Level 70-80 Players in mind, instead of a few fully maxed out Players. Beginner Players are Clan material, while experienced Level 100 Players are Guild material.

Asmodel kept reading the scroll looking for something, but it seems that little Clan Bases don't give NPC Levels after all, again, something he expected, not like they would have the time to plan out and properly make NPC anyway.

"Yo, look at this, the circle that took us to the sky, is deactivated now."

Outside the Throne room, right in front of the just shaped doors, was the teleportation circle, the magic was off, so the patterns were dim, but it was definitely the circle that activated their battle with the Giant Eagle. Hence, the Throne room is the highest peak of the Crystal Castle, quite fitting place for a ruler...

23:55:03

"5 minutes left. Sure was a ride no?"

The one who spoke was Anchelo, the one he addressed was their mini-Clan leader Asmodel. He was flying above the Crystal Castle overlooking Ice Town, he has been there for half an hour now, so one of his friends came looking for him.

"The other 3 said that we should bid the game farewell in our well earned throne room, what do you say? You're our leader, we want you to be there."

Asmodel was silent for a while before speaking.

"Yes, sure, I will be there. Just give me a minute."

"Asmodel, you okay? Don't tell me you're depressed again."

"...I remember it as clear as yesterday. The day I approached your Guild looking for some high-level Angel Players to carry out my Ascension Ceremony. You were the first one to vouch for me. Me, a Level 80 Demon Player that came out of nowhere."

"It became our Guild after that, the folk at Seraphim really were nice for accepting you."

Ragnar used to be a member of World Searcher, the explorer Guild. Teinu was a member of 2chan Alliance, a Guild formed by the unison of several Guilds which became a force to be feared. Meitro was one of the founding members of UnderKings, a Demon-only Guild that existed as opposition to Seraphim, and one of the Three Great Heteromorph Guilds alongside their after mentioned rival and Ainz Ooal Gown. Only Asmodel and Anchelo used to belong to the same Guild.

"I wonder, if the rumors of YGGDRASIL II really are true, will we ever see them again? Will Seraphim exist again?"

"Well, even if a bunch of Angel Players decide to form a Guild of the same name, there really is no guarantee that the same members will form it, or if our old friends will return to play that game either. And that's all assuming YGGDRASIL II will even arrive in the first place."

Asmodel was partially sadder by Anchelo's cold, but realist, words. He wasn't mad at him of course, nor wanted to chastise him for his lack of faith, that's just how Anchelo was, a no-nonsense person. He knew him the most out of his 4 companions, so he knew what his answer would be, yet he asked him that anyways.

"Alright then, just 5 minutes left, we should go to the throne room, I will follow you."

"Right, as our leader, is your responsibility to make our final, final memory of YGGDRASIL a good one, so stop brooding already."

"So this is why you guys voted for me to be leader, so you can shove everything to me!"

"We've been a mini-Clan for nearly a year, and your brain figured that out just now? It's a miracle we were never Party Killed all this time..."

Asmodel just returned that joke statement with a "hmph!" before teleporting inside the throne room. Once inside, he saw his other 3 friends looking at a floating Item in the center of the room.

"Uh? Is that what I think it is?"

The one who answered Asmodel was Meitro, the owner of that Item.

"It is, the World-class Summoning Item [Herald of Maggedo], the pride and joy of the UnderKings."

During the golden years of YGGDRASIL, the Demon-only Guild that Meitro belonged to amassed all their members and made a coordinated raid assault against the World-class Enemy group, the Lords of the Seven Deadly Sins. It was an extremely difficult series of battles, but they did it, they defeated the World-class Enemies and UnderKings became infamous.

The joy of being known and feared across the entire game was something many of the Demon Players were proud, but it still was nothing compared to the joy of possessing a World-class Item that was dropped by the final member of those 7 Super Bosses, one that suited them perfectly. [Herald of Maggedo] was an Item that could summon an infinite amount of Demons that would eventually overwhelm and destroy the realm they were summoned in, a truly terrifying Item.

Sometime after their raid, when UnderKings was done licking their wounds, recovering the Levels their defeated members lost after Resurrection, and rebuilding their gear, their Guild Master suggested a truly demonic endeavor, use their newly acquired Item to destroy the realm of Asgard alongside the most powerful Guild residing there, their bitter rival, Seraphim.

Long story short, it failed.

Turns out Seraphim had a World-class Item of their own, [Ahura Mazda], an Item that unleashed an AoE attack that inflected an overwhelmingly massive amount of damage towards any target with Negative Karma, its reach was an entire realm. When the summoned Demons were invading Asgard, all Seraphim had to do was use their Item and the Demons were destroyed so fast, it was like they never were there in the first place. The fluff said that the summoning abilities of [Herald of Maggedo] were infinite, but it seems [Ahura Mazda] not only destroyed until the last Demon that Item summoned, but also deactivated it somehow.

With their plan failing, UnderKings retreated back to Muspelheim, and in the following days they eventually realized why their scheme fell apart.

Time ago, Seraphim also made a coordinated assault of their own against a group of World-class Enemies, the Ten Archangels of the Sephira. It was widely assumed that both the angelic Super Boss group and the Lords of the Seven Deadly Sins were natural enemies to each other, and it seems that belief was true. [Ahura Mazda] was a World-class Item that the final Archangel of the Sephira dropped after its destruction, and with the defeat of a World-class Enemy group and that Item under their belt, Seraphim became even more famous than it already was.

The fact that they could triumph over 10 Super Bosses without allying themselves with other Guilds was nothing short of amazing, and everybody, including the 3 Top Guilds, was showering Seraphim with praise. Even though Ainz Ooal Gown, a fellow Great Heteromorph Guild, had more World-class Items than any other known Guild, and thus had no reason to be envious of them, they still understood that their feat was beyond magnificent, so they also recognized Seraphim as a rival worthy of praise and respect.

Only the Players of UnderKings weren't congratulating them, the only thing they felt was envy, the fires and heat of Muspelheim had nothing on the green flames burning in their hearts. Such powerful envy was what motivated them to unite and defeat their own group of Super Bosses just so they could shove it in their rival's face, and when they won a World-class Item they attempted to use it to destroy them as the ultimate act of spite.

In retrospective, they felt very stupid for not realizing that the one and only counter to [Herald of Maggedo], the Item the Lords of the Seven Deadly Sins granted to those who defeated them, was [Ahura Mazda], the Item the Ten Archangels of the Sephira granted to those who defeated them. Such thing was the definite confirmation that both World-class Enemy groups were antithesis, and while they didn't knew exactly what Seraphim's Item did before attempting to destroy them, the fact that they didn't considered the possibility that it could counter their own Item, despite being aware of all those theories and analysis about the 2 Super Boss groups, was truly idiotic on their part.

Dumb mistake aside, UnderKings still managed to defeat a group of 7 Super Bosses, so everyone had to admit they were a capable and powerful Guild. They weren't as respected as Seraphim or Ainz Ooal Gown though, they were more feared than anything else. They won a second World-class Item later on, but that's another story.

At the end of the Guild's lifespan [Herald of Maggedo] was the only one they had left, and Meitro silently went to the Guild Treasury and sneakily took the Item (alongside all the Divine-class gear and Gold he could store in his Item Box) for himself while the Guild was falling apart. Acting like a real Devil, his 4 friends said to him after Meitro told them how he got it.

"I wonder what became of the World-class Items of Seraphim."

"It's weird. You and Anchelo were part of that Guild no? Yet, neither of you have any idea what became of the remaining members, nor the Guild Base and everything inside it."

Over a year ago, during the decline of YGGDRASIL's popularity was when the Guild Master of Seraphim announced his retirement of the game, and a Guild can't exist without the Guild Master, so Seraphim went away with him. By that time, most of the Guildmates either weren't logging in anymore or deleted their accounts for good, that included the founding members of Seraphim, an inner circle that neither Asmodel nor Anchelo were part of.

He remembers that day perfectly, he logged in, but instead of arriving in the Guild Hall like he always did, he arrived in Midgard, in the very same spawning point that he had during his rookie days before being part of a Guild, the very place where he first laid his eyes on the virtual landscape as a Level 1 Imp. Asmodel took a glance at his profile, and his fear was true, he was no longer part of Seraphim, of any Guild. He attempted to [Message] his friends, but only Anchelo was around to answer.

Both traveled to Asgard and looked for any remaining Guildmate, but only found a locked Guild Base that wouldn't allow them entry. Normally, no more Guild means no more Guild Base, and the place would revert to the dungeon it was before the Players conquered it, but that wasn't the case with the Floating Island of Nirvanna, it still was the massive fortified flying castle his seniors created, the place were Angel Players could convene, train, socialize, create raid strategies, build their desired equipment, and some even made their dream NPC.

But now, that place which was Asmodel's second home for years now treated him as an intruder, when he grew desperate and attempted to break in by force the castle defenses activated against him. He couldn't feel physical pain since his game Avatar was just a digital construct made of data, but his own Guild Base treating him like an invader made his heart and soul ache.

The Pseudo-Angel and Half-Celestial had no choice but to move on. They assumed that before the Guild Master retired, he most likely named a successor among the few remaining members without telling anybody, and that unknown member must have dissolved the Guild and locked the Base. What that new Guild Master was doing with all that space, not to mention the money and Items of the Treasury, the NPC, and all the other things the Guildmates poured their everything to make, they could only guess. One thing was for certain, Seraphim was no more.

They found themselves wandering the 9 realms aimlessly, looking for any Guildmate they could find, or any other Angel Players to at least re-make Seraphim with them as the founders this time, but what they found was an Insect Player, his explorer Guild was gone, so he kept exploring by himself. Both felt a little bad for Ragnar, so they decided to keep exploring with him, and in the realm of Vanaheim is where they came across Teinu, who just like them was reduced to a solo Player, and with UnderKings gone as well Muspelheim was safe to explore, and in the fiery realm they found yet another solo Player that decided to join them.

Despite the aggressive hostilities between both Seraphim and UnderKings in the past, Meitro actually got along well with Asmodel and Anchelo, so there were no chasms nor serious fights among them.

"Well, no use crying about it, we shouldn't spend the last minutes brooding about the past."

"So less than 4 minutes, what's left to do? We already saw everything this castle would have offered us, every Monster that would've been ours to command as we saw fit, and even the not-so-impressive Treasury too."

"Maybe we can fire our own fireworks? I know the last minute will feature them game-wide, but I feel our own will feel more special."

"Or we could just sit here and enjoy the game's fireworks from this room, we are the rulers of the Crystal Castle now, we should bid the game farewell as such."

"I know! Asmodel should sit in the throne, that way he will look the part of Clan leader, and we will end the last day at least looking like a real Clan."

"Oi, you sure? In that case, where would you 4 sit? There's no other chairs here."

"Stop complaining man! Even to the end you're so stubborn, just sit in the throne so we can all enjoy the fireworks."

Asmodel just gave up. If there's one little thing he was a tiny bit glad about, is that once the game is over, leadership will no longer burden him, and he will return to be a plain office worker again.

23:59:27

The 5 enjoyed the fireworks display through the large glass window on the roof, they added a nice glittery contrast to the foggy skies. In the crystal throne was Asmodel, and around him his 4 friends were sitting on the floor. He felt bad of course, but said nothing.

23:59:39

20 seconds left, he racketed his brain for any worthy last words, but nothing came out. What could he possibly say to the friends he will most likely never see again? He knew that if nothing came out, he will regret it forever.

23:59:45

Asmodel cursed his lack of inspiration, he was too dumb to make up with anything, even of his friends would forgive him, he wouldn't forgive himself.

23:59:53

Too late, he instead decided to say what he was too afraid to say until now, a simple phrase that hurt him more than anything, but he felt that saying nothing would be much worse, so the words came out.

"Goodbye, my good friends."

To his surprise, they responded him in united synchronization, as if waiting for him to say that.

"Goodbye, our dear leader!"

Words couldn't describe the emotions swelling up in Asmodel's heart, he just closed his eyes and let the tears from his real body fall through his cheeks. This was it, he will now be facing cold and dull reality the rest of his days, but at the very least, he will forever have the memories of YGGDRASIL and his friends.

23:59:57

23:59:58

"Uh? [Herald of Maggedo] is glowing?"

23:59:59

00:00:00

00:00:01

00:00:02

00:00:03

Asmodel reopened his eyes, he was not expecting what he saw.

**Hi again, thanks a lot for reading all the way through the Prologue of my first fanfic. Next Chapter the story truly begins, and I will make my best efforts to make the story as enjoyable as possible.**

**You must've noticed that some summoned Monsters weren't described as some other Monsters were, but that's because I felt that there was no need, those Monsters looked just like what you would expect. The Balors and Nalfeshnee for instance, they are just slightly tweaked versions of the DnD Fiends.**

**So before signing off, I want yo thank you yet again for reading all the way, rest assured that Nazarick will be featured in the future Chapters without a doubt, so do look forward to that if you enjoy my story so far. **


	3. Chapter 3: Arrival

**I hope you enjoyed the introduction and backstory of the new Players. With that out of the way, the real story can begin.**

**This New World isn't like the one we know, it's still the same magical planet, but the chaos and survival of the fittest that governed it is no more. At the very top, at the peak of authority there is the Player, Momonga, who took the name Ainz Ooal Gown, and the one the current natives of the New World call God-King and World Emperor.**

**Nazarick has had a firm grasp on the world for nearly a century, any type of rebellion is meaningless and swiftly taken care of, and any power imbalance the new Players bring won't change the fact that the world-spanning Sorcerous Kingdom of Ainz Ooal Gown is the one and only boss around.**

Chapter 3: Arrival

Asmodel was heavily blinking, but what he saw didn't changed. To be precise, the place around him was still the same.

A large throne room made of crystal with large glass windows in the walls and roof. That much was the same, but what did change was what he saw outside those windows.

The sky wasn't foggy at all, it was a starry night sky, it looked so natural, even more so than the skies in Midgard or Vanaheim. Hard to believe a digital landscape could accomplish that.

He stand up, kept looking around and saw his friends doing the same, they were as confused as he was. What's happening?

"The shutdown was delayed? Seems we were teleported somewhere else alongside the castle too."

"What a dumb prank, shitty devs."

"The World-class Item, it was glowing just a little while ago, now that glow is gone."

Meitro was the one who noticed the strange glow in [Herald of Maggedo] right before the clock striked 00:00:00, and now saw that the glow was gone. He placed it back into his Item Box before anything else happened.

"I will see if there was some announcement of any sort, maybe we were too busy fighting and sightseeing to notice it...uh? What's this, the console doesn't show up."

The other 4 also tried to use their console to no avail, something was really wrong.

"The beta testing of YGGDRASIL II maybe? So the rumors were true?"

"Then why can't we use the consoles? GM Call doesn't works either."

"And telling us nothing? Not even asking if we wanted to volunteer?"

"Yo! shitty devs, this is illegal! Tell us what's going on right now!"

Virtual kidnapping was a serious crime in modern society where people now can inject their consciousness into role-playing games. Being held inside such games against the person's will is a federal offense, and the ones responsible are punished accordingly by the law. It's very unlikely that the developers of YGGDRASIL would risk putting themselves in jail just to test a new game.

Meitro's voice reverberated and echoed inside the empty throne room, but there was no response. Either the developers were ignoring them, or couldn't hear them. Meitro was seemingly upset, his lizard-like face was clearly showing signs of frustration.

Wait...his face was showing frustration? What!? They stared dumbfounded at their Demon friend.

"Uh? What are those dumb looks for? Something in my fa-...wait, your faces...what is...!?"

Meitro too could see the expressions on his friends' faces. Well, Ragnar had the face of a beetle and Anchelo had a helmet on, so only 2 of his friends could show their facial expressions.

In the many years of YGGDRASIL such technological feat was impossible, and everybody knew that even now the technology to do something like perfectly mimicking facial expressions in a Dive-MMO was many years away. This couldn't possibly be a game.

The scenery outside the windows also pointed against being in a game, they couldn't see fog nor icy landscapes anywhere, Ice Town was gone, in its stead they saw a large meadow field, mountains in the background, and even a fresh water river. All of it illuminated my a beautiful full moon.

"Even Asgard didn't have a scenery like this. There's no way, this can't be YGGDRASIL, it's impossible."

"Then where are we? This can't possibly be a real world...can it?"

"We in one of those old Anime series now? That's ridiculous."

The Anime industry has existed for a very long time, and there was a period when one specifically genre was extremely popular, the "Parallel World" (Isekai) that would feature normal people being transported to a magical world of fantasy.

In those series, the formerly normal people would grow powerful, either with swords, magic, or both, and either save the world and return home, save the world and live there as nobility or royalty, or sometimes wake up from some coma of sorts where it's revealed everything was a dream.

Teinu pinched himself in the cheek, he felt pain. Another thing that couldn't happen in YGGDRASIL. They are finding more and more evidence they aren't in a game anymore.

"So our faces can move, we can feel real pain now, what about other senses that are dulled in a game, like taste?"

"Worth a shot I think, let's try it out. We should taste some of the food in our inventories."

"Can we take out things from our Item Boxes? Do we even have them still?"

To their surprise, when they reached out their hands with the intent of taking things from their Item Box, their hands went off into some pocket space. For some reason they could know exactly what was inside that space, and could take anything they wanted.

All 5 took out food from their Item Boxes and took a bite.

The purpose of food in YGGDRASIL was to heal and buff Players that couldn't do so themselves and lacked any companion that could. A Level 100 Cook could create dishes that gave greater healing and buffs than even the Potions a Level 100 Alchemist could.

However, such dishes required more quality materials than Potions and similar Items, and materials are lost after the dish is made. Many Players felt that using materials for food that is lost after consumption is a total waste, why not use quality materials for more economic Items instead, like high-level Potions? Or at the very least, reusable things like rechargeable Sealing Crystals that can store even healing Super-Tier Spells.

In all honesty, food shined the most in low-level meta. Rookie Players could save MP by using food for healing and strengthening themselves instead of precious Spells and Skills, but at high-level meta when Players had longer MP bars, fast mana regeneration and Spells that could heal a good chunk of HP, food was seen as no longer necessary.

Hence, the Cook archetype wasn't that popular.

Anchelo had to remove his helmet to eat his dish, yet another thing that told them they were no longer in YGGDRASIL since all you had to do to eat food in the game was simply move it to your mouth, regardless if your face was exposed or not.

"This is tasty, very! I never had anything like this before."

"Neither did I, only the high society that lives in arcologies could enjoy dishes like this."

The common folk, that is, the non-privileged that only lived and died to serve those who were born rich, had tasteless nutritional pastes as the food they usually ate, they could never hope to afford luxury gourmet dishes in their entire lives, they could barely purchase simple meals, and that was occasionally.

Before they realized, they already wolfed down the food they were only supposed to taste.

"So we have all our senses, this settles it, we are definitely NOT in a game."

Anchelo said so in a very serious, but still surprised, tone.

He was completely certain because one of the ironclad rules of Dive experiences is either the dulling or removal of some or all senses, since leaving them intact could lead to serious psychological issues like people believing that the virtual world was real, while Earth was the fake world.

Understandable, since the real world was a polluted mess of poisoned seas, clouded skies that never allowed sunlight to shine, acid rains, and air so dirty that everyone, literally everyone, needed artificial lungs just to live in the planet.

Who could blame anyone for wanting to live in a virtual world instead? But reality is cruel and merciless.

"Sounds impossible, but I guess we really were transported to a parallel world, somehow."

"Meitro, your Item, you said [Herald of Maggedo] was glowing, right? Did that Item do this?"

"I'm not sure, my Guild had this Item for years, yet all it did was summon Demons infinitely, we never saw it teleport anything nor anyone."

"A World-class Item with more than one function? Is that possible?"

Anchelo shook his head.

"World-class Items were broken as they were, one with several functions would break the little balance YGGDRASIL had."

"Well, the Item begun to glow, we were teleported here, and then it stopped glowing. Even if the Item itself isn't responsible, it definitely had something to do with it."

The 5 kept exchanging possible explanations and theories for several minutes, nobody could find any sense in their circumstances.

If this was kidnapping, what did the kidnappers expected to win? 4 of them were loners with no friends nor family, and the one that did have family, only had in name only. Nobody would miss nor cry for the loners in a world like the one they come from, and the sole member with relatives knows perfectly well that his "family" would never pay for any ransom kidnappers ask for his life, they will let him die before spending money for him.

Kidnapping was out of the way, so what's left? A software accident? Are they in a fantastic dream like some protagonists in those old "Parallel World" Animes?

"Was this really because of magic? Does magic even exist?"

"What's the alternative? We ran out of reasons already, I'm considering to just give up and accept that magic brought us here."

If Anchelo, the most intelligent person of their group was already accepting the existence of magic, then they knew that they had no logical explanations left.

In that moment, Asmodel had a strike of curiosity.

"If magic is real and brought us here, then..."

He looked up and pointed his finger upwards.

"[Magic Arrow]"

10 arrows of light took shape and flew forward, hitting the giant glass window in the roof. He didn't maximized nor boosted the Spell, so the glass was unscathed.

The 5 were temporarily speechless, they definitely weren't expecting that.

[Magic Arrow] was usually the first 1st Tier Spell that Players who became Magic Casters learned, at first it would only shoot 1 arrow, but a new arrow would be added for every 10 Levels they gain, so Asmodel shooting 10 arrows wasn't surprising.

What was surprising was the fact that he could use it in the first place. Granted they already saw the pocket space inventory thing, but actually seeing real flashy Spells in front of them was something else.

"Magic is real here, we really are in a fantasy world!"

"So Spells work, what about Skills?"

"Um, Meitro, you mind if I try a non-damaging Skill on you?"

"Your chains? Sure go ahead, I don't mind."

Asmodel lifted his arm and activated [Bind of Repent]. The spectral chains came out and wrapped themselves on Meitro.

Yet another thing nobody was expecting.

The chains always came out of all his body minus his head, hands and feet, yet, this time the chains only came out of his forearm.

"How did you..."

"I, I just thought that a few chains would suffice, since I'm just testing it out, and only my forearm flared up and shoot chains."

"Meitro, how do you feel, it hurts?"

"Not really. I feel weak though, and also feel like some thin membrane is inside me blocking something that shouldn't be blocked normally. It's surreal."

"And you, Asmodel?"

"I'm good, though I feel there's some weird energy inside me slowly draining itself. It's flowing out of my forearm."

"So we can use both Spells and Skills normally."

"Are they truly the same? I wanna try something else."

Asmodel said while deactivating his chains.

"Anchelo, I'm gonna bind you."

"Wait, wait! You stupid? You get a penalty if you try to bind a Good aligned being, you forgot!?"

"Is because of that, I wanna know if the penalties still apply."

Anchelo had maxed out Positive Karma, if Asmodel tries to bind him with his chains, then he will lose 1/4 of his HP and will be stunned for 10 seconds. That's how it was in YGGDRASIL at least, was it the same here?

"I doubt there's a need to bind me, if Spells and Skills work like this, then penalties should apply as well. No need to lose 1/4 of your HP on purpose."

"And what if it doesn't work like that? This is a new world, where magic exists, normal common sense doesn't necessarily apply here."

Asmodel was dead serious, his friends could tell.

"What if this world has beings on par with us? Or is filled to the brim of Bosses? Or World-class Enemies? We must learn all of our limits, are we weaker or stronger than we were in YGGDRASIL?"

"We just arrived here, how do we know that? What if only we can use magic? Or if there even are other sapient beings out there?"

All 5 knew that those old fantasy Animes depicted the protagonist arriving in a medieval world in order to defeat some Monster King or Demon Lord to save the Humans living there. But those were just that, Anime.

"I know that possibility, but you must also realize that what I say may be possible."

"Asmodel, why? We can feel pain here, that penalty will hurt you."

"It's only 1/4 of my HP, if it does activate Anchelo will just heal me. Right?"

They saw the logic in their leader's words, if penalties are different, or if they don't exist here, then many things would change, they could exploit many types of Skills and abilities with little or no repercussions.

Penalties were implemented in the first place in order to balance things that seemed too powerful. Some abilities that were extremely strong during the early years of the game were later patched on with penalties simply because the shitty devs thought they were too broken.

They now knew for certain they were in no game, so maybe game mechanics don't exist in real, breathing worlds like these.

"Then, what if we try some other type of penalty that doesn't cause harm?"

"That's too mild, there's a big difference between not being able to use a specific weapon type and losing HP, we wouldn't know if the real dangerous penalties still apply."

"You know is dangerous, then wh-"

"Because I'm the leader, am I not? You always keep telling me I should act as such, is it not a leader's responsibility to take one for the team? To look out for the others? If the heaviest penalties apply, then we will be 100% certain all penalty types apply too."

The 4 knew they wouldn't be talking him out of this, they seldom saw Asmodel speak with such determination.

"Let me do this guys, come on. It's just a test, no need to repeat this again ever."

His friends remained silent for a while, then Anchelo spoke.

"Fine, I will heal you if the penalty activates, but just this time okay? You promise to never purposely hurt yourself again."

"Of course, I'm no masochist, you should know that."

Asmodel extended his arm towards Anchelo, the 4 were tense, but didn't attempted to stop their leader out of respect of his courage. Then...

"[Bind of Repent]"

The chains came out of his forearm, but the moment they touched Anchelo's armor, they immediately broke apart, the sound of metal chattering could be heard. Then, a bolt of divine lightning appeared out of nowhere to strike Asmodel where he stood.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

The damage was so intense, the 4 could see flashes of Asmodel's skeleton blinking through the electricity burning him.

"Asmodel!"

The 4 shouted in unison, authentic panic filling their voices.

The lightning dissipated, Asmodel's smoking body was stiff for a second before collapsing to the floor, falling face first.

His friends hurried to his side and turned him over, only his face wasn't covered by gear, but they could clearly see the terrible burns on his skin.

"Asmodel! Asmodel!"

"Answer!"

"C...can't...move..._cough_..."

"It's the 10 second paralysis, you enormous imbecile! We told you!"

"Hey...now we..._cough_...know pen...alties...apply..._gack_..."

His skin was burned, but his insides were worse. His organs were scorched, his blood was boiling, his bones were cracked, if he weren't a Level 100 Pseudo-Angel he would've died already because of the pain alone.

"[Greatest Sacred Heal]"

As agreed, Anchelo healed his wounds, and all the after mentioned effects were gone, as if the bolt never striked him. He still couldn't move though, the 10 seconds weren't up yet.

He eventually got to his feet again, and his Insect friend approached him.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Good."

Without warning, Ragnar striked Asmodel in the face, and once again he was on the floor, hurt.

"Try something like that again, and I will cut your head off with my axe! Then I will have you revived and behead you again! You heard me!?"

"Yeah, loud and clear...ouch."

A broken nose didn't hurt as much as a full scorched body, but still hurt.

Then his Human friend approached him after that, and gave him a hand to stand up.

"That gotta hurt, let me see."

Asmodel removed his hand from his face, only for Teinu to headbut him in the same spot Ragnar striked him. And a third time he was hurt on the floor.

"Before Ragnar cuts your head off I will personally stab your balls with my swords! NEVER do that again!"

"Yes, yes! I get it...God..."

Meitro just gave a mocking laugh, Anchelo softly facepalmed and slowly shook his head.

Asmodel just drank a Potion this time. The taste was weird, it wasn't bitter nor sweet.

"So it seems even in a non-game world the mechanics of YGGDRASIL still apply, so weird."

"Weirder than the fact magic exists here?"

"So it seems our abilities really are the same as in YGGDRASIL, then what about this world, it has Tier Magic too, or something else?"

"We will never know until we go out and see for ourselves if there's people living here."

"What are the odds that the whole world is like the medieval Europe of our world? Haha."

The 5 just spoke about what to do next for several hours. Normally, this is the part were the protagonists start finding clues about their whereabouts and, if possible, find a way back to their world.

Back then, when that Anime genre was popular their world still had blue skies and oceans, green fields, and breathable air. Companies weren't near as black-hearted as they are today, and people were treated like people most of the time. It was a place where a normal person could live happily.

But that Earth was gone, neither of them had any real reason to return.

4 of them had regular, unimpressive and boring jobs that were sucking away their lives every day, and while 1 of them wasn't really a worker in the same vein, and actually had some level of prestige in his line of work as well as a decent salary, he was beyond unhappy.

Such disappointment with their lives is what made them stay in YGGDRASIL when nobody else did, what made them continue playing and adventuring there, even if they were just the 5 of them. What made them stay till the end.

The hours went by.

As Level 100 entities, their need for sleep and other sustenance was minimal compared to lower level beings, plus the Race fluff said that Angels and Demons don't need sleep anyway, so nobody felt sleepy when the sun rose in the horizon.

It was the first time they saw a real sunrise, they kept staring at it for who knows how long.

"Guys, I want to stay here, in this world. I don't care what's out there, don't care how dangerous it is, but I want to live here."

Asmodel knew that his friends were just as miserable as he was in real life, but he wasn't certain if they were willing to abandon everything they knew to live in a world they know nothing about just like he was.

Surely, if there was a way to return to their old world, and his friends wanted to return, he would do nothing to stop them, no matter how much he wishes they could continue to adventure forever.

To his partially expected surprise, his friends simply nodded to his words, some simply said something like "yeah, me too".

"It's decided then, this is our new home!"

Surely if they had loved ones like friends, lovers, or real families, they would do everything in their power to return to their side. Plus, most of them are no longer Human in flesh, "normal" people may feel disgust at being an Heteromorph, and would most likely wish to return to being a Human, maybe.

But it was weird, they were Human all their lives, yet the 4 Heteromorphs of the mini-Clan don't feel like they entered alien bodies, these monstrous bodies feel natural, like they were always meant to have them, and that the Human bodies they had before were just temporal substitutes they inhabited since birth before "recovering" their real bodies.

All that plus the fact that this world was a true natural beauty was the sealing deal for them.

Goodbye dirty, heartless and lifeless Earth, hello unknown New World!

**[Many hours before, around 200 meters away from the place where the Crystal Castle appeared] **

They have been at this for days, nothing happened, but they had their orders.

The people were stationed in a place between the Six Great Demi-Human Countries near the center of the continent where the capital of the world-spanning Sorcerous Kingdom of Ainz Ooal Gown resided.

Déishe was born and raised in the Great Minotaur Nation, and he's relatively young in Minotaur standards, so the concept of the world being in a single entity's grip has always been common sense to him.

Neither him nor his current coworkers have any idea how their world was before the God-King Ainz Ooal Gown took it for him, nor really cared. Legends say that it was a chaotic and lawless world where people killed and ate each other without blinking.

The World Emperor took it upon himself to remedy that, and alongside his Guardian Gods he brought order, structure, and prosperity to their entire world.

Legends also spoke of large, bloody, and terrible wars, but no conflict of such scale has ever occurred in the lifetime of any mortal being currently alive. Maybe some of the longer-lived servants of his Holy Majesty like the vassal Dragon Lords may remember that era.

But regardless, people these days only reads of such epic tales in history books, they have never seen, and most really don't want, things like large demonic invasions or country-wide battles ravaging their lands.

However, one event in particular is definitely happening, regardless if they want to see it or not. The YGGDRASIL Advent.

Instead of a legend, the world (or worlds) that beings like the God-King and the lesser Guardian Gods used to inhabit before descending to their world, the Nine Realms of YGGDRASIL, is a documented and well-known fact.

Records first speak of the Six Great Gods 700 years ago, beings of great power that created what for a time was the main religion in the Human zones of this continent. Most were mortal however, and succumbed to age just like most beings in this world do, and the immortal among them was murdered by the entities that arrived after them.

Those entities were another group now known as the Eight Greed Kings who swiftly took over the world like the God-King did. But legend speaks of their avarice which led them to kill each other until there was none left, so any order they brought was quickly gone, just like them.

There's also a mysterious being simply remembered as the leader of an old team of heroes that lead the campaign against a rampaging group of monsters that threatened to destroy the world.

But Déishe was especially fond of the national hero of his country, the Minotaur Sage. A revolutionary individual that brought technological advancements and changed the Great Minotaur Nation for the better.

One of the greatest dogma of the Church of Nazarick is that all beings are equal under the God-King, no matter your Race, lineage, political status or wealth. But he still felt genuine pride about the fact that he is a native of the same country that an entity from the same realm as his Holy Majesty used to live in.

In any case, after decades of research, and testimonies of centuries-old beings, a conclusion was reached: every 100 years or so, new entities from this world of YGGDRASIL would arrive to their world.

And it has been a century already since the World Emperor Ainz Ooal Gown and his abode of Nazarick descended here, so it was safely assumed that another being or beings from the same world as him could arrive as well.

Normally, more God-like entities walking in a world filled with feeble and easy-to-break beings like them would normally cause stir and fear, but that wasn't the case. They were aware of the potential dangers these "Pureiers" (Players) could bring, especially if they had "Enpisee" (NPC) with them, but nobody panicked, because they knew they could trust in the God-King's power and authority to keep them safe. He himself promised so in a worldwide message broadcasted everywhere by illusion magic, and the God-King never lies.

"Nearly midnight, still nothing."

Déishe was half reporting, half complaining.

He formed part of a small reconnaissance team stationed inside a very large outpost big enough to accommodate over 30 people, but they were just 6 of them. One for each Demi-Human Country representative.

The outpost itself was actually built with many Magic Items designed with the purpose of intelligence gathering, it was so complex that it was basically a big Magic Device.

Magic Items have existed for centuries now as useful and versatile tools that aided the people who made them. For a long time they were seen as a testament of the ingenuity and intelligence of the Races who made them.

It was when the World Emperor brought the idea and eventual creation of Magic Devices when the world realized how shortsighted they truly were, and their own lack of creativity was plain for all to see as well.

For starters, Magic Items traditionally served only one basic purpose. As light sources (lamp), heat sources (thermostat), healing substances (Potion), Spell storage (Sealing Crystal), timekeeping (clock), the variety was endless, but their functions were simple and predictable. The Minotaur Sage himself also added many more varieties like wind producing (wind fan) and low temperature food storage (fridge).

But the Items suggested and created by his Holy Majesty, those were in a category of their own.

For starters, that illusion magic box known as "television". Nobody among them was a Mechanical Alchemist that worked in the production and repair of those things, but they were educated enough to get the rough concept.

First, the box itself is made with copper, a natural magic insulant. Protruding from the box there is an Item that receives a transmission similar to [Message], but it's illusion magic instead of a worded message.

That Item is connected to another Item inside the box that transmits that illusion magic to yet another Item that displays the imagery through a special flat crystal that is the "face" of the television.

That way, this Magic Device box can display through that flat crystal what is going on right now in another faraway place. All that through the skillful use of illusion magic.

And that's just a simplified explanation, the television is actually far more complex than that since it can also display something that happened time ago.

It has some slot in a corner where you can insert a "tape" that stores illusion magic which displays something that was recorded time ago, and the television will display what is recorded in that tape.

The tape itself is also a complex Magic Device, since it receives the illusion magic it records from yet another super complex Magic Device called "camera".

They can't begin to count the technological advancements that they have been blessed with. Nobody in the world could've came up with such ideas, only someone like the God-King could have.

Such complexity had a downside, if a single Item in the Magic Device's "machine" is missing or broken, then the entire thing would malfunction, and it takes a well educated Mechanical Alchemist to fix it. Plain Magic Items may be simplistic, but they are sturdier, and easy to fix.

The outpost they were in right now was very complex in itself. It was stationed inside a dummy hill, so they couldn't be spotted unless someone had penetrative vision magic.

They could see outside thanks to Magic Devices similar to telescopes installed in the outpost that used the after mentioned penetrative vision magic and telescopic sight to see what was happening miles away.

It also used illusion magic similar to the one in televisions to display what those telescopes saw in large flat crystals inside the room, that way all the reconnaissance personnel could see what the telescopes saw.

The room was shut, but nobody lacked air to breathe. It wasn't a super complex Magic Device, it was what the God-King called "simple science". There were many small plants inside the room, and the personnel is ordered to take good care of them, since if the plants perish, so will them.

They couldn't understand how taking care of simple plants is what gives them air to breathe in a locked and sealed place like this, but the God-King is a being of peerless intellect, they can't fathom what he thinks, so they just accepted that he must know the laws and nature of the world much better than they ever will, and left it like that.

"So it's been nearly a week now, what are the odds that those new entities will even arrive in this place?"

"We don't know, that's why there are outposts like this spread all over the world, his Holy Majesty needs to know when and where the Advent will be, for our sake."

"Man, if the calendar system wasn't trash a century ago, we wouldn't have this trouble."

Right now, the entire world shared the same calendar system of 12 months consisting of 30-31 days and 24 hours each day that the World Emperor had in his original home world.

Before that however, each culture had their own calendar system which was based in either seasons of the year, specific constellations in the night sky, or some other thing that made it hard to align with each other.

Hence, even with written records it was extremely difficult to tell the specific date when the Great Tomb of Nazarick arrived in this world. They could barely tell it was sometime between the current days a century ago.

Then, when the clock striked midnight.

"Uh? What's, that?"

The 6 kept staring at the crystal displaying a castle that appeared out of nowhere in a meadow field around 200 meters away.

The castle seemed to be made out of some crystalline material, it had a tower in the middle that seemed to have 15 floors of height, and around it there were several well-carved statues.

The outpost was such a complex Magical Device that it could even tell an approximate of the distance. The metric system was the same as the one in the God-King's old world too.

"Zoom in, use penetrate vison, let's see if we can see what's inside!"

Even the "buttons" they were using to use the functions of the outpost were Magic Devices.

They saw 5 figures at the top floor of the tower, a bipedal insect, a red lizard in a dark robe, a knight with 2 wings, an armored being with 3 eyes and 4 wings, and a Human with a light leather armor.

"Are they really...beings on par with his Holy Majesty and the Guardian Gods?"

It was also public knowledge that all the beings of this world called YGGDRASIL were roughly on par in terms of power.

Some had more advantage over others in one-on-one fights, but overall, they were beings who had the power to topple mountains, split the seas, create hurricanes with weapon swings, earthquakes with footstomps, annihilate the strongest monsters with a single blow, transform the most fertile lands into arid deserts and vice-versa with a single Spell, the list goes on.

It's no surprise that such beings have been worshipped as Gods both in the past and in the present, and surely they will still be in the future.

"What do we do, just observe?"

"For now we should."

They saw the 5 figures look around in confusion, surely they didn't expected their arrival to this world. Yet another thing the legends of these beings say.

The red lizard grabbed the floating object in the center of the room and saved it in some "pocket space" called Item Box. Now they are 100% certain they are from the world of YGGDRASIL, only they can do such thing.

That same lizard was screaming something. They could see them clearly, but there was no Magic Device to hear afar conversations invented so far, they weren't there yet, but they would. One day.

The 5 figures then got close to one of the windows, they were just staring at the landscape, it seems they were taken aback by it. Maybe the world of YGGDRASIL didn't had sceneries like this?

While the fact that these beings come from that strange world was something everyone who knew the legends was aware of, not much was known about it other than that. They knew they were 9 different realms, beings that were virtual Deities, weapons that surpassed comprehension, but that was it.

Anyone who is close enough to the God-King to know all the details about the Nine Realms of YGGDRASIL wouldn't possibly be working as mere outpost personnel.

Then the Human pinched his cheek.

They took tasty-looking meals out of those space inventories they have and hungrily ate it. Even make food appear out of nowhere, is there something these beings CAN'T do?

The knight exposed his head to eat, and they saw his strange facial features. The wings made them wonder if he belonged to the same Race as those Winged Humanoids that inhabit those flying cities and other high places like communities atop the mountains, but now they're fully certain he's not a Humanoid of any sort.

"He kind of looks like an Angel. Kinda."

"The ones the Priests summon with Divine Magic look more freakish and weird than him though."

"That's true."

"I mean, that 3 eyes with several wings resembles an Angel more. But something about his looks makes me doubt he's one."

After that the 5 figures just kept talking among each other for a while. Judging from their body language, they really were confused about their circumstances. Seems that for all their power, beings of YGGDRASIL really lack omniscience.

What happened next were truly bizarre events.

The 3-eyed being with 4 wings, for some reason, shoot out the Spell [Magic Arrow] towards the roof window.

The glass was without a scratch in it.

Was that Angel(?) too weak? Or was that castle just that sturdy? Also, why attack your own home? Are they prisoners there?

Then he made chains appear out of his forearm and imprisoned the red lizard with them, just to release him afterwards.

What's going on? Are they not companions? If they were truly enemies they would be killing each other right now.

Some sort of argument broke between them, and after a while, the weirdest thing happened.

When the weird Angel attempted to bind the other weird Angel, his chains just broke, and a lightning came out from who knows where to burn the one who shot the chains.

Even without sound, they knew that hurt, a lot.

They thought maybe the knight defended himself, but the way the other 4 rushed to his side, and seeing that the knight healed him, they concluded they were not enemies.

Whatever happened, none of the other 4 did it. The armored being hurt himself?

After that all common sense just got thrown out of the window.

The bipedal insect smashed his fist on the weird Angel's face, then the Human headbutted him.

The red lizard laughed at him, and the winged knight did absolutely nothing.

"What the hell, do all YGGDRASIL beings just switch between friends and enemies like what?"

"Well, the Eight Greed Kings were supposed to be companions as well, yet they killed each other still."

"His Holy Majesty is the only "Pureier" (Player) that arrived this last century, perhaps that was for the best."

"So what about "Enpisee" (NPC) like the lesser Guardian Gods, did they brought some with them?"

While one flat crystal just continued to observe the movements of the 5, the other telescopic Magic Devices displayed in the other flat crystals surveyed the entire castle.

It was amazing.

They saw many different types of Monsters spread between the whole castle. Dwarf-sized fairies, Lion Beastmen with manes made of fire, some creatures that looked like a cross of Human and Dragons, the last ones reminded them of depictions of the "True Form" of the Guardian God of strength and loyalty, Sebas Tian.

Granted, none of the 6 people here ever saw him in that form, so they weren't certain if those Monsters were the same.

In any case, they had no way to be certain if these "Enpisee" (NPC) were just as powerful as the Guardian Gods that serve the God-King, but if they are, then these new "Pureiers" (Players) were dangerous indeed.

"Seems they will just keep talking among themselves for what remains of the night, I suggest we send the recent events to E-Rantel, let them know we are the ones who found them."

Déishe, the one in command, gave the okay for the illusion magic recording to be saved in a tape and deployed to the capital of the Sorcerous Kingdom ASAP so his Holy Majesty can see what they just saw.

Not only are they doing their proud duty, but their names will be recorded in history as the ones who first located a wave of YGGDRASIL beings, all 6 had reasons to celebrate once their current job was done.

The tape was given to the Beastman representative who then used a Device holding the Spell [Greater Teleportation], it had the destination pre-recorded, so all he had to do was push the button in it.

The remaining 5 will stay and keep watching. If anything happens, anything at all, they will see it, and they will let the powers at be know.

That is their mission, for themselves and for their entire world.

**Here ends the real introductory Chapter. Again, I ended up writing way to much again, but I didn't wanted to split it again, so we get a very big Chapter this time.**

**I want to thank you for the positive reviews, is honestly more than I expected, so rest assured I will do my best to not disappoint.**

**Also, to clarify, the mobs that the scouting unit saw in the castle are not really NPC, they are the former mobs of the Crystal Castle that are under the command of the mini-Clan. Goes without saying they are nowhere near Level 100.**

**See you in Chapter 4.**


	4. Chapter 4: Preparations for Journey

**Hi again, thanks a lot for the positive reviews, they are very encouraging, gives me the desire to become a better writer.**

**Also, I apologize for the grammar and spelling mistakes you found in the previous Chapters, English is my second language you see, but I know that's no excuse so I will pay more attention during my proofreading from now on.**

**We will meet again in the Afterword.**

Chapter 4: Preparations for Journey

"This is nice, been a while since I felt this relaxed. What about you guys?"

"Eeeeeh, don't wanna taaaaaalk."

"Trying to read, be quiet."

Right now the 5 were in a large bathhouse enjoying a hot water bath.

Even though Meitro (and Asmodel as a former Demon) have fire immunity, they can still enjoy the warmth of the water. Kinda weird, but nothing wrong with that.

The Crystal Castle's size had nothing on a real Guild Base, but it was still decently large. It was meant to accommodate a whole Clan after all, and like many bases, it most likely was designed with the option of being expanded upon to make it even bigger.

It kinda looks more as a well defended tower than a proper castle though. The 15 floors-high tower is the [keep] of the castle were, starting from the Second Floor, the Monsters are increasing in Level and decreasing in amount. The First Floor is a mob-less place that resembles a living room designed to welcome guests.

Second Floor has many mobs around Level 60, the Thirteenth Floor has a few mobs around Level 85, and the Fourteenth Floor has 3 Level 95 Monster mobs.

The highest Floor instead is the place that truly looks like living quarters for royalty. It has 25 personal rooms, a large dining room, a very big kitchen, a huge bathhouse that they're currently using, a library with many classical works pre-written, as well as the throne room. Also, those places have non-combat mob Monsters like Brain Eater chefs in the kitchen and Owl Birdman librarians that manage the library. It even has over 20 Fey'ri maids too!

Bases that already had non-combat miscellaneous mobs like these preinstalled were extremely rare.

Outside lookers would think that it's impossible for all that to fit in just 1 floor, but every floor is much bigger inside than outside, and the Fifteenth Floor is the absolute biggest one.

Around the tower is what gives the Crystal Castle its name, a 10 meters tall defensive [curtain wall] surrounding it, and in each of the 4 doors in it there's a fortified [gatehouse], and a little further is where the 7 Golems are standing still.

It has been around 4 days already since they were taken to wherever they are, and during that time they were once again checking every nook and cranny of the Crystal Castle to see how different it was from the game.

Things that were just fluff back in YGGDRASIL became real when arriving to this world. The kitchen that was just a decorative room now had genuine cooking devices alongside ingredients and other utensils, and the mobs that acted as chefs now became real, sapient beings that knew how to cook for real.

The dishes they cook are very good by the way.

Same as the librarian mobs in the library, they knew exactly how many books there were, the titles and authors of those books as well as their exact location.

Most impressive were the maids. They followed the 5 wherever they went, and were adamant to remain at their side no matter what they did. When they ate in the dining room, when they read books in the library, there was always a maid nearby.

The reason they decided to took a bath was mainly to get a breather from them, since the men's bathhouse is the only place they actually refused to enter.

Right now Anchelo is reading _Divina Comedia_ by Dante Alighieri. You wouldn't normally read books while bathing since the paper would spoil, but the books in the castle are Artifact-class Items, a special tier of Items that are static and can't be customized nor enhanced in any way, but they're unbreakable, unlike even Divine-class gear and Guild Weapons.

The Mask of Envy all 5 were grudgingly given by the shitty devs on the past Christmas Eve is another example of Artifact-class Items.

During these days they also confirmed several things about their new bodies. More noteworthy is their biological needs (or lack thereof).

The game fluff said that Angels and Demons don't need sleep nor food of any sorts, and that fluff also became real it seems since none of the 3 felt hunger nor tiredness no matter the amount of time that passes. They could still eat and sleep if they wanted to, interestingly enough.

Teinu and Ragnar, on the other hand, did eventually got hungry, hence why they requested food from the chefs in the first place. And it took a couple days, but the 2 eventually got sleepy as well, so all 5 took the chance to try the personal bedrooms.

Maids following them to their bedrooms was kinda creepy, but luckily nothing inappropriate happened all night.

Not even a week and they already enjoy life in this world far more than they did their entire lives in their old world! They could spend eternity in the Crystal Castle if they wanted to.

But none had any real intention of being locked up here forever, they had every desire to go out there and see what's in store for them, so normally that means they have to stop everything they are doing, go out blind and explore right?

If you are a sightless, ignorant and innocent teenager who thinks that it's an Anime protagonist, then you would immediately do that, must likely.

This world is beautiful, and who knows how many wonders they will find out there, but is also an unknown one where magic exists. Going out blind would be too reckless on their part.

Ragnar was a member of World Searcher, and the other 4 were exploring together with him for nearly a year, so everyone here is well versed in magical exploration techniques.

For starters, you scout the place you wish to explore beforehand. Monsters with shared sight, Spells and Skills that give you telescopic vision, anything that gives you at least a vague idea what's out there.

During the last days they've seen nothing but meadows in the surrounding areas, and they have a feeling that's all they'll see if they keep using just regular scouting techniques to know what's out there.

But there's no hurry, not even a week has passed after all. For all they knew, maybe they really are the only sapient beings here.

"What if we use the Clan Base's functions to scout what's out there? The systems of the Crystal Castle seem to be able to see further than any method we use."

Bases, both for Clans and Guilds, have systems and other functions that the Players can use to their advantage. Those functions are usually thematically appropriate, for example the Fervent Mount of Gog, a large volcano that was conquered and turned into their Guild Base by the UnderKings, can shoot fire and lava to faraway enemies, and even control the surrounding magma and nearby fire Monsters of Muspelheim to some degree as well.

The Crystal Castle, being basically a very high tower, has a watchtower function in the throne room that can be used to see up to miles away in any direction, and can even be used to see through solid objects, invisibility, and also has a separate cloaking function that can hide the entire castle when active, but that is off right now.

"What if we find nothing even with that? Those functions require Gold after all, and with YGGDRASIL gone the Gold in our Item Boxes and the small Treasury is all we have."

They call that Treasury "small" because is the only word they can use to describe it when compared with the World Searcher, 2chan Alliance, Seraphim, and UnderKings Treasuries.

"If we really find nothing and we are indeed the only ones here, what use has Gold anyways?"

"Well, there's also the possibility that any cultures here don't even use Gold or coins as currency."

"If cultures really are here, how advanced would they be? They definitely would have nothing like our world's technology."

Something all 5 are truly thankful right now.

"Medieval then? Or stone age even? What if we just find slightly intelligent monkeys?"

"In any case, advanced cultures would have cuisine techniques no? Ingredients at least. The chefs of the kitchen seem to have finite ingredients, would be nice to have a supply."

The kitchen and chef mobs were most likely added in the case of the Clan having or adding a Cook to their members, facilitating their food creation, but the ingredients it already had were just digital fluff, hence the castle lacks any function to replenish the now real ingredients, even with Gold.

"Oi, Anchelo, what do you say?"

Only he wasn't contributing to the discussion, his book was very good it seems.

"Um?"

Doesn't even bothers to spare a glance. Bookworms...

"We have to fill you in?"

"No need. We have found nothing yet even after 4 days, so maybe we should use the watchtower function to see further faster, but that costs Gold we can no longer replenish now that we aren't in YGGDRASIL anymore. That's the gist?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"So what do I say?"

He closed his book and looked up to the ceiling.

"Let's see, Thief-type Mercenary Monsters would require Gold anyways, and no mob under our command here has Rogue Skills either."

Anchelo mentioned the mobs because, unlike in YGGDRASIL, Monsters tied to a Base are no longer restricted to the Base itself, and can even walk outside without difficulties nor restrictions.

"Even if we send mobs anyways, we can't use sight sharing Spells with them since we didn't summoned them."

"So what do you think we should do? Just stay here forever, or go out blind?"

"In my opinion, I say we use the watchtower function just once. The cost can't be that big, and it should show us what is out there in a several kilometers radius around us."

In these few days they have only seen what's around 400 meters around the castle, and the further they go, the longer it takes to scout the expanding area.

The watchtower function would save them weeks, months, of scouting "by hand".

"I do feel reluctant to spend resources we can replenish no more, though."

"If we do find people, I think losing some Gold would be worth it."

"Especially if we find nice stuff our chefs can cook. Can't make good food out of Gold alone can we?"

Mentioning food twice already, Teinu does love yummy food it seems.

Asmodel was lost in thought for some seconds, then finally decided.

"Let's use the watchtower then. If even with that we find nothing, I suggest we move further by ourselves and start making small outposts."

These "outposts" are in fact just small Player-made areas that can be travelled back and forth with teleportation Spells. In zones were it's difficult to tell specific places apart like vast deserts, forests, or in this case meadow fields, these areas can be designated with a number or codename for easy and fast transportation with no risk of getting lost.

The reason they haven't used them so far is because those little areas are usually unguarded and can't be under constant surveillance, so any nearby Monster can destroy it with ease, or they can teleport there right when there's a high-level mob around or a Party from an enemy Guild nearby and get ambushed.

Doesn't hurts to be cautious. But none of them wants to be locked up here forever either, they have to weight the pros and cons of every action they take.

Thus, while it's possible they are the only ones around, is also possible that this world harbors not only intelligent people, but also other Players like them. Maybe only Players inhabitant this world for all they know, a planet that brings Players from YGGDRASIL.

"You all okay with the proposal?"

"Totally, I wanna see how the watchtower works."

"I'm fine with it too."

"We have plenty of Gold after all, remember that I took all the riches of UnderKings for myself back when they were about to dissolve."

"Okay then, let's carry it out...tomorrow."

Said Asmodel before submerging himself into the relaxing water.

This really is life.

**[The next day] **

"Okay then, it says it takes 5,000 Gold for looking 5 miles away for 3 minutes."

The amount the watchtower system charged depended of both the distance they see and the time it remains active. The further and longer they see, the more Gold it takes.

Also, using penetrating vision and seeing through invisibility takes additional fees too.

The cloaking system to prevent detection is the same. But for now, all they need is just to see if they can spot intelligent life.

"How long would've taken us to scout 5 miles away? These Guild systems really are useful."

"What if we see 10 miles away for 6 minutes? It also says that it's just 10,000 Gold."

"You don't mind then."

"I already told you, is for the team, I have countless Gold coins in my inventory, this is nothing."

Meitro already stated a long time ago that he doesn't minds expending the Gold he took from UnderKings to aid the mini-Clan, and he still means it, plus 10,000 Gold is a beyond insignificant amount for the riches amassed by a Great Heteromorph Guild.

"Alright, here goes."

After paying the amount, a large floating screen appeared in the air in front of the crystal throne were Asmodel was sitting, so even the other 4 standing near him could see what the watchtower system displayed.

There were also several maids nearby that remained silent, again they refused to leave their sides.

"No control pad around, how you control that thing?"

"It's kind of a mental link, similar to the ones we now have with the Monsters we summon, is hard to put in words."

Teinu and Ragnar are the only non-Mages in the mini-Clan, so it seems they will never understand what their 3 friends mean when they say "mental link".

Then, after scouting in several directions for a while.

"Oh, a city! It's a city right?"

"I think, I will look further."

The screen was displaying buildings and other structures several miles away from where they are right now. They saw countless figures walking, talking, and doing anything people do in everyday life. They found it, intelligent life!

"So there are people living here, that's a relief. Being the only beings in the planet, even in a world like this, would've been kinda sad."

The excitement then turned into curiosity. The people they saw didn't really looked like the people they were expecting to find.

"Can you look closer into anyone's face?"

Asmodel zoomed in a random person's face, then another, and another after that. It's confirmed, that's no Human city, they saw no Human in sight anywhere.

"A community of Trolls, is this a Troll world?"

"Trolls having a city of their own, that's kinda weird."

Back in YGGDRASIL, the Race fluff of Trolls said that they were mindless brutes for the most part, and lived by ravaging and stealing from more numerous and intelligent Races. Basically, bigger and stronger Goblins, just like Ogres.

The [Troll] Racial Classes also lacked any type of affinity for Magic Caster builds, instead they created synergy and enhanced melee-oriented Job Classes that relied in physical strength like Monk, Barbarian, and Tank Classes.

"Maybe they stole that city from Humans or other intelligent Race?"

"No."

Anchelo was swift to correct his friend.

"Look at the buildings, they weren't remake to fit taller Races. They were made from the beginning to suit the size of Trolls."

"Also, is that, a school?"

The screen also displayed numerous small Trolls happily running towards a large building. The children were carrying bags with them, and the rectangular shape of the items inside the bags made them assume there were books inside the bags the Troll kids were taking with them towards that large building.

Besides, unlike the Troll mobs in YGGDRASIL, every single Troll was decently dressed. Nobody was wearing rugs or half made clothes.

"Trolls that practice architecture, dress appropriately, and educate their children. Are those really Trolls?"

"No other Race living there, they have no slaves that made those things for them, they really have the brains to do all that..."

"We have some minutes left, let's see if we can find another place."

During the next minutes they found several other places like it. Cities of Trolls that behaved no different than normal people. Some cities had places resembling markets, hotels, and even churches.

One place in particular was special. It was much larger and advanced than any other city they saw before, and in the center of that metropolis there was a castle of sorts.

"How much more is the penetrative vision?"

"It says...2,000 Gold more."

"Here, let's see what's inside."

They weren't even thinking about the fact they were spending unrenewable resources, they HAVE to learn what's up with this world.

Inside the castle there were Trolls as expected, but these looked different.

Larger, a slightly different color, and their clothes had complex designs and was seemingly made of quality fabrics.

"A castle harboring a royal family. Of Trolls."

"Then this is really a Troll world?"

"2 minutes left, I'll see as far as I can."

Asmodel looked as far and as wide as he could before their time using the watchtower ran out. And much further away they found something they weren't expecting.

"Minotaurs."

Similar cities, filled with commerce establishments, educational institutes, and even a conglomeration of shops that looked like a mall of sorts.

The [Minotaur] Racial Classes, just like [Troll], created poor Mage builds, but excellent physical fighter builds, meaning that they usually aren't that smart either.

Yet, those 2 Races that are supposed to lack coherent reasoning as high as other Races do were right there, having civilizations of their own.

Before they realized, their 6 minutes were up, and the screen disappeared.

"What is this world? Races that were dumb back in YGGDRASIL are intelligent here. Are formerly intelligent Races dumb here if that's the case?"

"Should, should we see again? Further and longer this time?"

Asmodel was silent some seconds, then spoke.

"Meitro?"

"Yes, I'm just as bewildered as you. Let's see again, as I said, I have countless Gold coins just gathering dust, better give them good use."

The 5 spent the entire day and over 1,000,000 Gold coins scouting the surrounding Six Great Demi-Human Nations.

Races that were savage brutes for the most part back in the game now were living peacefully side-by-side in this world. Citizens from other countries even visited each other, and there was no hostility of any sorts.

And when they were already accepting the fact that they landed in some weird Demi-Human world, they had their biggest surprise to date.

"A, Human..."

In the country composed of Orcs, they saw what appeared to be a Human happily chatting with a pig-faced Demi-Human like if they were lifelong friends. The Race fluff of Orcs said that they also fed on Humans like most large Demi-Humans do, yet they see there a scene that defies YGGDRASIL's common sense.

The Human had heterochromic eyes, one brown and the other green, and had blonde hair. Surely traits that were uncommon back in their world.

The Human eventually waved the Orc goodbye and left in his horse driven carriage. It seems the world may indeed be medieval like they assumed, but without really seeing for themselves what's out there, they can't be really certain. They haven't seen modern tech anywhere after all.

Plus, seeing so many educational institutes in virtually every city made them doubt if the world really was medieval, since education was more of a privilege than a right back in that era.

Granted, in their previous world real education was also a right only the privileged that were born rich could have as well, but there was a time when school was something every child could attend, and that was long after the medieval era was over.

"Can we follow that Human? See if we can spot a Human country?"

"I'm afraid that is as far as the watchtower system of the Crystal Castle can see. Even an infinite amount of Gold won't make it suddenly break its limits."

"So this world harbors intelligent people, both Demi-Humans and Humanoids. Is every Race here living peacefully?"

If it was, then this world would be the definition of "perfect". There was never a time in their previous world's history when the entire world enjoyed anything close to real peace.

Ethnicity, religion, politics, skin color, sexual orientation, personality traits, humanity had countless petty reasons to divide each other, hate each other, hurt each other, kill each other, they weren't happy if they weren't stabbing each other's backs.

It was too soon to be certain if this world truly enjoyed global peace, and their gritty hearts disappointed by reality made them doubt if such a wonderful thing can even be possible in the first place. The existence of magic is easier to believe than a world free of senseless hatred.

But if they can see it with their own eyes, a world were people of all Races can truly accept each other, then maybe, just maybe, they could accept that this world really is the closest thing to heaven.

**[2 days after that] **

They took extra precautions and preparations before they finally decided to go out and see the world for themselves.

First they will visit the Demi-Human counties they spotted, both to learn how advanced the societies really are and see if they can ask the people what they know about the world at large.

If they can even ask the people in the first place, since the watchtower system only displayed imagery, not sound. They have no idea what type of language the people were talking. Surely the scouting system of a real Guild Base may have displayed sound as well, but their Base was just meant for a Clan.

The 5 were ready to leave, but there was one last thing they had to take care of...

"Are you truly leaving us behind, dear masters?"

"How many times are we gonna tell you people? We're not leaving forever, we will just explore this mysterious New World, we have the Crystal Castle pinpointed so we can return here with [Greater Teleportation] or [Gate] whenever we want, so rest assured we will occasionally return."

"But why you want to leave in the first place? Are you not satisfied with the services we provide? Are the chefs not making good enough food? Are the maids not serving you well enough? Just tell us what it is and we will fix it immediately!"

"Oh boy."

Back when they announced to the castle residents, both combat and not combat-oriented, that they will make an expedition to explore this world, they all lost their minds and started to ask why the 5 were "abandoning" them.

Normally, they wouldn't care less what mobs made of data say and they would just do what they want, but the mobs are no longer just digital constructs. They are real, beings that feel and think just like them. Leaving them to feel forsaken would make them feel a bit bad, and they wanted to enjoy life here without remorse of any kind.

It took a few hours but they eventually got a solution.

They would use a chariot that was made with a function similar to the [Create Fortress] Spell and Crystal Castle, is much bigger inside than outside.

When they travel, they will take 5 or so maids with them, and everyday they will teleport the maids back and bring new ones with them, basically "rotate" between staff members so every maid has a working day.

The other mobs of the Fifteenth Floor, the chefs and librarians, will give the maids assigned to accompany them for that day some dishes and books before joining their trip so they can have something to eat and read during travels.

The combat-oriented mobs and Golems will continue to defend the castle in their stead. And the maids that remain will be in charge of cleaning the Fifteenth Floor so it can be ready to use anytime they return.

That way, every resident of the Base will continue serving them even while they're away.

It has been some hours now, the chariot is driven by a Golem Horse that never gets tired so no need for breaks. Not like there are any rest points between kilometres of meadows anyway.

At the driver's seat is Asmodel, at his side is a maid assigned for today, inside the chariot that's much bigger inside than outside are his 4 friends and the 4 maids assigned to them. The chariot has enough seats for over 10 people actually, looks more like those super luxury limousines since it's complete with even a fridge stacked with food and drinks.

The 4 offered some refreshments to the maids but they refused, saying that as Fey'ri (hybrids of Demons and Elves) they have no need for food nor drink, and no need for sleep either so they can look out for them even when they rest.

Intentions aside, being stared upon even while they sleep is indeed kinda creepy, especially since the maids are Half-Fiends, complete with little horns, devilish eyes and a pointed tail. Normal Half-Fiends have leather wings too but none of the maids do.

What confuses them the most is their blind loyalty towards them. They are 5 complete strangers that appeared out of nowhere and defeated the previous ruler of the Crystal Castle. If they do keep their memories from the game, then shouldn't the mobs hate them for killing their previous boss?

Of course they asked them about the matter, but each mob said something similar to the following:

"It's true that Lord Geminus Garuda was our ruler for as long as we remember, but it was also his will to give away his ownership of the Crystal Castle to anyone capable enough to defeat him. So by following your will, we follow his will too!"

Seems the Giant Eagle's name was Geminus Garuda.

In any case, their devotion was something they couldn't fully grasp, and something that made them a bit uncomfortable as well since the 5 were born and raised in a world full of totalitarian companies that use people just to discard them away, no better than objects.

Surely, the 5 would never treat sapient people like that, so they made a collective promise to never abuse their authority.

However, the way the mobs constantly asked them what they could do to serve almost gave the impression that they wanted them to use their authority on them. Their attitude made them cringe.

But they wouldn't force them to change their personalities just because of that, that would make them no different from the corporations that made their lives miserable back on Earth, so instead they had to find ways around the mobs' obsessive desire to be used.

So there they went, to see how a world full of people of different Races and cultures could live together despite their differences. Has this world always been like that, or was there someone or something that made the world into such a place?

What if only the surrounding countries are like that, and the rest of the world is hell?

Whatever they find, whoever they find, only the future knows. A future that the 5 were looking forward to, since for the first time in their entire lives, they have a warm feeling in their hearts that makes them look forward to a new day.

This new feeling in their hearts was hope.

**Next Chapter we will see the introduction of everyone's favorite skelly boi, so do look forward to that.**

**A reviewer wondered how could a reconnaissance unit of the New World see through a mid-to-high level Clan Base, so this Chapter also answers that.**

**I do plan to give detailed Character Sheets in the future, and I have a good idea of how to properly introduce their Levels, Skills, and gear, but it's still in process so their Race and Classes will have to wait a bit.**

**See you in Chapter 5.**


	5. Chapter 5: A Mortal's Perspective

**And here it is, the Chapter that introduces Ainz!**

**Keep in mind, this Ainz is over 100 years old. At his core he's the same, but he's smarter, wiser, and while still wary, he has learned to take calculated risks. Similar but different.**

**Let's get to it. **

Chapter 5: A Mortal's Perspective

Rhoig arrived to E-Rantel all the way from his outpost that was miles away in an instant thanks to the Magic Device with the [Greater Teleportation] Spell built in. Unlike common Magic Items that store Spells, you don't need to be a Magic Caster in order to use this Device, truly a very useful gadget.

It was a bit after midnight, only the Undead were around at this time, but they were ordered to report the arrival of the YGGDRASIL beings immediately after their discovery no matter what. Plus, his Holy Majesty has no need for sleep, so surely he won't interrupt any rest he doesn't needs.

The Device brought him to a specific area designated for reconnaissance personnel, an area that they will teleport to only after spotting the Advent, that way the nearby guards will know who arrived, and for what purpose. No need for introductions or explanations.

The nearby guard, an Undead, reacted immediately and escorted Rhoig directly to the God-King's current residence.

The city was as beautiful as ever. As the capital of the world-spanning Sorcerous Kingdom of Ainz Ooal Gown, E-Rantel was the prototype of all the revolutionary ideas conceived and carried away by the World Emperor, so this large city was arguably the most prosperous one in the entire world. The most advanced technology, latest health care, top-notch education, an unitiring and completely loyal police force of Death Knights that are stronger than almost anything in this world to keep them safe, overall the best quality of life for the people living here.

Only Carne City, as the worldwide hub of Magic Device production led by the Bareare family can compare with E-Rantel.

Rhoig was admiring the city as a way to calm his nerves, he has seen his Holy Majesty in history book depictions and recent television broadcasts countless times, but he has never met the God-King personally.

He has never even met the Head of State of the Beastman Commonwealth, his homeland, nor is personally acquainted with anyone who has met someone of similar position, so he has absolutely no idea how to properly greet or act in front of a King, Emperor, or President, let alone the highest authority of the world.

Of course, he's well aware that the God-King is a being of benevolence, comprehension, and patience, so say the parents to their children, so teaches the schools, and so preach the Priests, so Rhoig doesn't fears the wrath of his Holy Majesty. He fears acting in a way unworthy of someone who stands in front of his Holy Majesty. Even if the World Emperor forgives any disrespectful attitude, he himself won't.

The Undead guard stopped in front of the building where his Holy Majesty resided, then spoke.

"The God-King waits inside, please proceed."

In that moment a Human-looking maid stepped outside and escorted Rhoig further in. The building, obviously, was worthy of a God-King, he has never seen such luxury before, and maybe he won't ever again after today.

After a minute or so of walking, the maid finally stopped in front of a door, knocked it and stated her purpose.

"Lord Ainz, a member of the scouting units is here to report."

This was it, beyond this door was him, his Holy Majesty, the God-King, the World Emperor, the Second Surshana, the Lord of Life and Death, the Dark Sovereign, the Immortal Ruler of Mortalkind, how should a mortal greet a Deity? Rhoig didn't know.

He held a firmer grasp on the Magic Device he held on his hand, his purpose here is to deliver this tape to his Holy Majesty, that was it. No need for drama nor awkward conversation, that was his only business here. He looked downward and calmed his breathing, but his heart wouldn't stop exploding in each beat.

After what seemed like an eternity, a voice responded to the maid.

"Let them in."

A calm voice full of authority, he knew that voice very well, every single civilized being in this world knew that voice very well. Nobody wouldn't recognize the voice of God.

The maid opened the door for him, seems she won't come inside with him, so Rhoig excused himself and walked in, eyes still down, so to not see his Holy Majesty directly to his eye sockets. After walking 2 meters inside he stopped, he heard the door close behind him, and continued to keep his eyes down. Rhoig immediately knelt and spoke with confidence.

"My name is Rhoig Vidkar, a member of the reconnaissance unit located in the middle of the Demi-Human countries in he center of this continent, here to report to his Holy Majesty. We found them, my lord, we did."

He held the tape in front of him, waiting for anyone to take it, but to his surprise nobody did. Were there no servants in this room? Rhoig was growing nervous until the same voice as before spoke to him.

"You did, wonderful. Please, stand up."

"My lord?"

"Stand up, no need for such theatrics. Let me see what you found."

Give the Device directly to his Holy Majesty? How could he dare!? However, the only thing more insolent than that would be to disobey the God-King, so had no choice but to stand up and walk towards him, to get close to the World Emperor...the thought alone made him want to faint, but he wouldn't, he could act as a dumb jester all he wanted after no longer being in the presence of his Holy Majesty.

He got up, and slowly raised his eyes to met him. The garments he was wearing right now are a bit different from the ones he uses for his public appearances, but it was him, no doubt.

The only governor of this world, Ainz Ooal Gown.

Rhoig could barely breathe, he forgot how to walk too, he was being crushed by the presence of the entity in front of him. It was when the God-King slightly lifted his right bony hand to signal him to move forward when he broke out of his trance.

_'I'm wasting the God-King's precious time, MOVE! You idiot Beastman!'_

He gathered all the courage he has ever mustered in his life, and forcefully moved one foot in front of the other. Slowly but surely he walked close enough to the God-King to deliver him the tape, and he did so with a shaking hand.

"Thanks for your efforts, rest assured you and your companions will be properly rewarded."

Said the God-King while taking the tape from his hands. Rewarded for directly serving the World Emperor? Who would ask a greater reward? In any case, his Holy Majesty took a glance at the tape before introducing it in some slot in his desk. Seems even such furniture is a Magic Device. He then put his finger in his right template.

"Demiurge, the Players were found, call off the reconnaissance units worldwide, tell them they did a good job and can return home now."

That must've been a [Message] Spell, or maybe a much higher Tier of it. Rhoig is well aware of how unreliable that Spell has been for mortal mages over the centuries, so surely the Gods must have a much more reliable system they use to communicate.

In any case, his job was done, he could finally return to the mortal realm where he belongs. As he was about to leave however, a telepathic voice rang in his head.

"[Where are you going Mr. Vidkar? The God-King hasn't excused you yet, leaving without his permission would be rude, don't you think?]"

Of course, _he_ is here. Both of them are here.

Rhoig was so fixiated on his Holy Majesty that he totally ignored the other 2 figures in the room. At the right side of the God-King was a seemingly Human female with pale skin and black hair, but taking a glance at her yellow slit eyes, horns on her head, and black feathered wings sprouting from her hips clearly shows she's no Human. She's the Overseer of the Guardian Gods, hence possess the highest authority right after the God-King himself.

And at his Holy Majesty's left side was him, the one who mentally reprimanded the Beastman for his attitude just a moment ago. Of course he couldn't leave without permission, how could he forget such basic thing? Rhoig was genuinely thanking this individual.

"Alright then, let's see our visitors, shall we?"

After activating some unknown mechanic on his desk, a screen appeared in the air right in front of them. Whatever Magic Device it was, it truly was much more advanced than the television that was released to the market just 6 months ago. The screen clearly displayed the illusion magic that he and his companions recorded several minutes ago, a castle made of crystalline material and the 5 figures in it.

"Oh, [Herald of Maggedo]."

Said his Holy Majesty after pausing the recording. "Herald of Maigeudo"? What was that? Was that the weird Item the red bipedal lizard saved in his pocket space?

"That what I think it is?"

Asked the male figure at the left side of the God-King.

"It is, yes. That's definitely a member of that accursed Demon Guild that made us Heteromorphs more feared and hated than we already were."

Oh...so in that world of YGGDRASIL, Heteromorphs were hated and feared. And Demons had a Guild of their own that somehow made Heteromorphs more infamous. Just one little phrase from the God-King and Rhoig already learned more from YGGDRASIL than he ever did his entire life.

"So your theories were true it seems, old man."

Calling his Holy Majesty "old man", and in front of the highest-ranked Guardian Goddess no less, was an unforgivable sin. But not from that individual at his left side, only he could get away with calling the World Emperor that.

"It seems they are. Those Items really did brought Players here, brought me and Nazarick here."

The Guardian Goddess then spoke for the first time since the Beastman arrived.

"It seems we have to thank that long dead leader of those pathetic overgrown lizards, don't we Lord Ainz?"

"I suppose. Even if the Dragon Emperor had no intention, his actions did started the line of events that led to all this."

Rhoig has no idea what they're talking about, but he knows better than to pry his nose into immortal holy business. However, the way the God-King phrased his words, it seems that the beings from YGGDRASIL really did had no original intention of arriving to this world. So, his Holy Majesty never planned to arrive to this world and bring order to it? Was all this just a byproduct of an accident?

"You seem troubled child, is something the matter?"

The God-King was asking Rhoig a question, he better answers to his full ability.

"Forgive me my lord, I was just thinking...is it true that the beings from your world never wanted to descend to our world? That all of this, our prosperity, our lifestyle, the peace we enjoy, is all just a happy coincidence?"

The God-King seemed to think for a while before answering.

"Yes, Players like me arriving to this world wasn't something we planned, let alone expected. However, even though descending here wasn't our choice, what we did after arriving here, that was our choice. Nobody told me to take over this world in order to transform it into a place everyone can live in harmony and prosperity, I chose to do that myself."

What a fool this Beastman was, doubting the kindness of his Holy Majesty, thinking that all the benevolent acts he has done for 100 years in order to make the world a better place were just happy accidents. Rhoig wanted to punch his own face as hard as he could, but the God-King is the one who decides who gets punished for what, not him.

"Forgive my interruptions, let's keep looking at our guests."

After apologizing for some reason, the God-King unpaused the recording to see what the 5 figures did next. Right after saving the Item and looking around in confusion is when the red lizard, most likely a Demon judging by his Holy Majesty's words, begun to scream something in a rage.

"Hmph, I too thought the shitty devs played a prank on me."

_'Uh? Shitty deubs?'_

After that is when the 5 stared at the landscape for a good while. If Rhoig wanted to be certain, now was the time.

"I wonder..."

The Beastman begun to speak nervously.

"Yes? Something else bothering you?"

"I, my coworkers and I asked ourselves, are the landscapes of this world really that beautiful? Surely the Nine Realms that harbor beings of such power would have more beautiful panoramas than such a feeble world like ours."

"Is that what people think of YGGDRASIL?"

His Holy Majesty paused the recording again and remained silent for 2 seconds before answering.

"It's true that I used to inhabitant that place filled with beings that rivalled and surpassed me, and yes, it did had beautiful vistas here and there, but such places where you could stand and enjoy the beauty of the sight were few. Of the Nine Realms, less than half weren't hellish landscapes."

"Really?"

"Burning infernos, blinding dark lands, icy wastelands, entire worlds filled with toxic air that poison you just for standing there. Beings like me didn't became powerful for no reason, we grew strong because we had to."

"Such danger was the environment, that you had to become as mighty as you are?"

Rhoig was well aware of the legends depicting the old world, how everything was before the World Emperor brought safety and peace. Tales speak of food scarcity, natural disasters, and of course the everpresent monsters that were always a perpetual threat. Everything was always against everyone's survival, just seeing another day was a blessing, so if you didn't became strong enough you would become another victim of the world's chaos...or your own people, since such a merciless world wouldn't allow communities to brood their weak, nor feed those incapable of providing their part.

But so dangerous was YGGDRASIL that the ones living there had to become literal Gods just to survive? Does that mean, that his Holy Majesty wasn't always a Deity? Was there a time when he was as weak as he and everyone else is?

"The realms of YGGDRASIL were always shifting between enemies and allies, worlds that were hellish to some were safe havens to others."

Rhoig was also aware of Races that pleasantly lived in places that would be otherwise inhospitable to others, like the Fire Slimes that lived inside the magma of volcanic areas, Undead communities that inhabitanted cities built around barren lands, Winged Humanoids and Birdmen having no trouble being in places so high that there's little air to breath. It seems that the Races of YGGDRASIL were no different in that regard.

"In any case, even the few places that were truly peaceful and displayed beauty of their own still pale in comparison to this world."

Nine Realms, yet so few places where you could sit and enjoy the view. Many people envied these "Pureiers" (Players) and fantasied with living in that fantastical world of YGGDRASIL and become Godly beings, yet the more Rhoig learns of it, the less envious he is of them.

"Does that answer your concern?"

"Yes! Thanks for your answers my lord."

"Very well then."

The God-King unpaused the recording again, next was the part where the Human pinched his cheek. He doesn't knows why he did that, maybe that Human just was weird? And afterwards is when they took food and ate it.

Rhoig now assumes that the 5 individuals, after realizing they were in a safe place, took the opportunity to eat, and it seems it has been a long while since their last meal judging by the way they devoured their food. The Beastman felt genuine pity for them, since the current world under his Holy Majesty is one where people can enjoy good food anywhere anytime, without fear for your life.

Maybe if those beings learn of how peaceful and prosperous this world is, maybe they won't become enemies and chose to live normal lives here. But can you have a real "normal" life when you have the power of a God? Rhoig doesn't knows.

"What a strange being, that knight who removed his helmet, my coworkers were assuming he's an Angel of sorts."

He's now fully aware that his Holy Majesty is an approachable being that doesn't minds enlightening the ignorance of mortal fools, so he felt safe stating that, hoping that the God-King would provide an answer he could give to his comrades who were just as confused as he was.

"You're not entirely wrong. He does have Angel blood, at least half of it."

"A...half Angel?"

"Correct, a half-Human Angel, the appropriate term is Half-Celestial."

Angels are know throughout the world as Monsters called forth by Divine Magic Casters like Priests and Clerics, for centuries now religious people considers them envoys of the God the Divine Mage worships. Be it an Elemental God, a benevolent or evil God, doesn't matter what type Deity the Priest or Cleric serves, the messengers they send are always Angels. The Divine Casters trained by the Church of Nazarick also summon Angels as well.

However, Angels conceiving offspring with mortals is unheard of, and should be impossible since one of the things students learn at the Magical Academies is that summoned Monsters cannot have children with inhabitants of this world, seems that doesn't apply to YGGDRASIL either. Is the Angel the father or mother of that knight though? Perhaps only the God-King knows.

"I guess now's the time they realize they are no longer in YGGDRASIL, right old man?"

"They would have to accept it, yes. After all, the Human confirmed that their bodies could feel, and they obviously enjoyed the dishes they ate, something they could never do back in the Nine Realms."

Uh? Wait, what? What did the God-King just said? The beings of YGGDRASIL, they couldn't feel? They couldn't taste? What!?

"You have that dumbfounded face again Mr. Vidkar, if you have a question, just ask, the God-King doesn't minds answering."

The male individual at his Holy Majesty's left said that to him in a calm tone.

"I'm deeply sorry my lord, I just can't believe it. Back in YGGDRASIL, you couldn't feel nothing...? You couldn't taste nothing? And what about scents, you couldn't smell nothing either?"

"There's a lot of things people doesn't knows of YGGDRASIL, huh. Maybe we should reform the school systems again?"

The Guardian Goddess then spoke for the second time.

"Are you sure it's okay for common mortals to know so much? Knowledge can be a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands."

"Is just trivial stuff, knowing such things would hardly be dangerous to our kind."

What amount of knowledge would give mortals like him the ability to scratch Gods? Rhoig finds that idea laughable.

"In any case, to answer your question, no. Back in the Nine Realms none of us could feel, taste nor smell the slightest thing. No need to pity us, combat and war was a constant, Players fought and killed each other all the time, so the inability to feel pain was a blessing for us. Food was also used out of necessity instead of choice, the taste was irrelevant compared to the energy it recovered for the weakened and wounded Players, focusing on flavor would be a waste of time back there. And remember the poison-filled worlds? Lacking the ability to smell was, too, a blessing for us."

The God-King said so in a normal manner, as if such thing was common sense, but Rhoig still couldn't believe it.

Since he was a cub, his favorite activity has always been to visit the flower fields that are so abundant in the Beastman Commonwealth. The sweet smell of the flowers fill him with warmth and comfort, and melt his stress and worries away.

Even better is enjoying such scent while having his favorite meal. Well cooked meat with seasoned vegetables and a good drink to accompany it.

His paradise however, is to enjoy all the above with the people that matter to him more than anything, his wife and little son. His family gives his life purpose and meaning he didn't had back when he was a rebellious teenager that enjoyed to cause trouble just for the kick of it. Just remembering them both brings a smile to Rhoig's face.

Those simple things in life are taken for granted by Rhoig, and most likely by pretty much everyone. Yet, beings like the God-King and the lesser Guardian Gods, every single being that arrived from YGGDRASIL, they never knew what the scent of flowers is? What a delicious meat is? What physical love with a beloved spouse is? What hugging your child is? And the beings that still remain in the Nine Realms will never know?

Just...just what type of hell is that!? Entire worlds full of dangerous climate that force you become as powerful as you can, constant death battles with beings that rival and surpass you, not a single moment to enjoy anything worth enjoying. How could anyone go on like that? Any envy he still had for these Godly beings was now gone forever, and surely anyone who hears the things Rhoig had heard will never feel envy of YGGDRASIL entities either. At least, not towards the ones that still remain in the Nine Realms.

"You can't believe it right? I couldn't myself either when he told me how it was back in his previous world. It's crazy, really."

The male individual's comment made Rhoig stop his train of thoughts and return to reality, a second time he's thankful to this man, he shouldn't keep wasting the God-King's time.

Next in the recording was the part were that strange 4-winged Angel fires [Magic Arrow] towards the ceiling. Why did he do that? Rhoig wanted to ask more questions, surely his Holy Majesty could explain the weird events that will transpire in the recording, but the man at the God-King's left was asking questions instead, it would be rude to step in.

"That guy can use magic and wear armor, must be an hybrid archetype?"

"Yes, he's an Arcane Caster it seems, so most likely a Mystic Warrior. Not sure what subtype unless we see him in combat."

"He doesn't look like an Angel either, something seems off about him, maybe he's...uh? White spectral chains? I've never seen that before, can anyone in Nazarick do that?"

"No, because there is no member of his Race in our ranks. Those chains are a Racial Skill of the Redeemed."

"Redeemed?"

"Almost unheard of, only the Guilds Trinity and Seraphim harbored Players of that Race as far as I know. I'm not sure who exactly that is, but I'm certain what he is."

"And the other 4, a Half-Celestial Paladin or Cleric, a Demon Mage, an Insect Fighter, I think, and a Human Warrior most likely. Why do they argue?"

It was at that moment when the weird Angel, the Redeemed, tried to bind the Angel hybrid only to get zapped by some unknown lightning.

"That's, a penalty, right?"

"Correct. That Skill [Bind of Repent] inflicts a heavy penalty if used against someone with Positive Karma. The Half-Celestial seems like a Cleric, judging by the Divine Spell he used to heal his friend."

Oh, so these beings, they were testing themselves. The things Rhoig recently learned finally made sense of their actions. The Human pinched himself to know if they could feel pain, they ate to know if they could taste, and that Redeemed, he was testing his abilities most likely, judging from the conversation between his Holy Majesty and the other man.

"And now they're hitting and laughing at the guy. They must be buds!"

The other man's sarcasm is tasteless, the Beastman felt. But he's not saying that aloud.

"To truly care about their friend, they must deeply trust each other. A knit close group, those 5, reminds me a bit of my past comrades."

Uh? They really are friends? That's how YGGDRASIL friends treat each other? In any case, next is the part were the Monsters inside that tower are displayed. Maybe the God-King will enlighten the ignorant Beastman again.

"Mmm, weak, most of them."

Of course, he assumed such a large amount of "Enpisee" (NPC) couldn't all possibly be on par with the Guardian Gods, but it's nice to hear it from the God-King himself. But what about the 3 Monsters at the second highest floor? Those seem specially strong, so Rhoig asked his Holy Majesty just to be sure.

"Those are Seraph Empyrean, a high-level Angel, Nirvannic Wyrm, a high-level Dragon, and Malebolge King, a high-level Demon."

"Are those on par with the Guardian Gods?"

"Not quite. They are the closest thing to their Level, but my Guardians are still superior."

Rhoig felt relieved. Even if those beings and their servants declare war, only those 5 are on par with the Gods, and the armies of Nazarick are stated to be counted in the hundreds of thousands, so the God-King and his servants can take care of them with numbers alone, same as their forces.

The recording eventually ended, and the desk ejected the tape. The God-King didn't took it however, he just remained silent for a while with his hand covering his chin, seemed to be lost in thought.

"Mr. Vidkar."

"Yes, my lord."

"Is the rest of your team still keeping and eye on them?"

"Of course my lord, we wouldn't drop our duty without your orders."

"Then, I will return to your outpost with you, I want to see them myself."

"Of-of course! If that's what you wish, then I will return first to inform them of your arrival, and prepare the place for your stay."

"No need for that."

Then the Guardian Goddess spoke for the third time.

"But Lord Ainz, surely his coworkers will be incredibly surprised if you just arrive without forewarning. The emotional shock could be too much to bare."

The Beastman could testify to that. His Holy Majesty heavily sighed, and gave Rhoig the okay for him to go first and inform his coworkers that the World Emperor himself will pay them a visit.

"I will arrive to your outpost first hour in the morning, please have everything ready until then. And keep recording their actions, don't miss a single detail."

"As you wish my lord."

Rhoig took out the same Magic Device that brought him to E-Rantel and used it to return to his outpost back in the middle of the continent. Once there, the Beastman allowed himself to lose strength and collapsed on his knees.

"Rhoig! What happened?"

"Oh nothing, I just stood face-to-face with the God-King."

"You really did!?"

"I informed him of everything. Oh yeah, and he's coming to this place first hour in the morning to personally keep an eye on them, so we must make this place worthy of a God-King in the meantime."

"What!?"

"He's coming here?"

The exclamations continued around him, but Rhoig just allowed himself to relax.

_'After all this is over, I'm taking my family to the fields, I need a good break.'_

**It will be a while before Ainz decides to meet the new guys, he's still the same wary individual after all, so he would rather use the New World's eyes to study them than risk a personal conversation.**

**It's not that he fears them, as of this Chapter he's now well aware of the lack of danger they are to him, Nazarick, and the entire world, so now he feels safe enough to keep watching them and learn as much as he can, since he would rather make them his allies than his enemies. Plus the faint hope in his nonexistent heart that he will have true friends that he can address as equals once again.**

**Also, you may have noticed that there are other religions in the New World besides the Church of Nazarick. Thing is, the religion around Ainz Ooal Gown is the most popular one, but not the only one around, since religious freedom and respect is also a rule Ainz made to ensure tolerance among the people. They are occasional chasms, but nothing big enough to justify war.**

**In any case, next Chapter will be a direct continuation of this one, so the POV of the new Players will have to wait a bit to return.**

**See you next time. **


	6. Chapter 6: Scouting

**Hey there, sorry for the lame title of this Chapter, but I didn't wanted to waste time thinking of a more appropriate name for this Chapter since the content matters more I think.**

**See you in the Afterword.**

Chapter 6: Scouting

The Beastman just teleported back to his outpost, Ainz will have to wait some hours before he can lay his own nonexistent eyes on the new guests of his world. His emotions are normally suppressed, but he could still feel the mix of anticipation, curiosity, and excitement building up inside him.

_'Those 5, did they remained till the end because they are like me back then? Or they simply remained for nostalgia, and have a life with loved ones waiting back on Earth? If they want to return, can I help them go back?'_

Ainz, Satoru the salaryman, never had any reason nor intention of going back to that hellish Earth, so he never found a way to return there, nor attempted any method to do that. However, in the many decades that he spent looking for any member of his Guild in this world he seldom considered the possibility that they would want to return to Earth in the event they are transported to this world. Surely someone like Ulbert or Herohero, who had unhappy lives just like him, would like to stay in this beautiful world, but the likes of Touch Me, who had a family that depended on him, would look for any method to return no matter what.

About the how and why they arrived, now he's fully certain that the long dead Dragon Emperor is the one responsible for the YGGDRASIL Advent. He speculated that the Dragon's lust for power compelled him to use his Wild Magic to look out for and pull great sources of power from other worlds, and what the Emperor found were World-class Items in the world of YGGDRASIL. His magic, somehow, turned code and data from what was nothing more than a videogame into real and physical objects that functioned just like the flavor text from the game said that would function.

The Dragon Emperor literally made videogame objects real.

What he didn't foresaw however, was that not only the World-class Items would be pulled into this world and become real, but also any entity possessing or being near the World-class Items would be pulled from Earth into this New World, and all the abilities they had in the game would become real as well.

[Downfall of Castle and Country] was the first World-class Item to be pulled from YGGDRASIL by the Dragon Emperor's Wild Magic, and with it, the very first Players to arrive in this world came with it, Players now remembered as the Six Great Gods. They were relatively passive, focused more on aiding humanity who was at the brink of extinction during that time than conquering territories or slaughtering enemies. Some people of the country they left behind, now called the Slaine Democracy, still worships them, and it seems that religion won't fade away anytime soon even after all this time.

The ones now remembered as the Eight Greed Kings came alongside an unknown World-class Item they used to alter the rules of this world in order to allow people of all Races the potential to use Tier Magic. That also permanently crippled the Dragon Race by removing their ability to use Wild Magic and replacing it with innate Tier Magic, reducing them from the rulers of this New World to just another Monster Race.

It's still unknown who arrived 100 years after those 8, maybe a World-class Item arrived alone without Players nor NPC.

However, 200 years after the Greed Kings is when a still unknown Player arrived only to be defeated by the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord and have the World-class Item that brought them to the New World be taken after the act by said Dragon. Ainz already located that Dragon decades ago, and has kept a close eye on him and his stolen World-class Item since then. His Guardians have encouraged him to order an attack and destroy the Dragon in order to take the Item that never belonged to such lizard, since only a Supreme Being should possess such Items, but Ainz knows better than to try an assault against an unknown enemy. The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord has done nothing but slumber during the years Nazarick has kept surveillance over him, so they know next to nothing about his abilities, nor how he defeated that Player or Players that arrived 400 years ago.

He does plan to take that World-class Item, one day. As an Undead, he has plenty of time to spare after all.

And 100 years after that is when 2 Players arrived, the leader of the old group of heroes and the one remembered as the Minotaur Sage. When he took over the Six Great Demi-Human Countries is when he found a World-class Item that was the most sacred treasure of the Minotaur Nation, surely the Item that brought the Sage to this world. But even after all this time he doesn't knows what Item brought that Human Player that lead the campaign against the Demon Gods, maybe both him and the Minotaur arrived together, brought by the same Item? Most likely, then the 2 took separate ways after arriving to this world if that's the case.

Also very likely that the Item is out there, waiting for him to find it. Ainz may be the ruler of this world, but that doesn't means that he knows everything about it, since there are still small, but persistent, fractions of this world that oppose his rule. Plus the fact that a good portion of the planet is unknown territory that has yet to be mapped, there could be another Player with its own Guild spreading their influence just like Ainz does that's somewhere out there for all he knows. Or a Guild that has remained hidden for centuries.

The amount of things he doesn't knows makes him feel ashamed of the "World Emperor" title the natives of this world gave him.

In any case, just like 200 years ago, a century after the hero leader and Minotaur Sage's Advent, is still unknown if a World-class Item arrived alone or brought YGGDRASIL entities with it. Since the record keeping of this world was medieval at best, primitive at worst, it's very likely that he will never know what really arrived a century before he and Nazarick did.

Strangely, the World-class Items called forth by the Dragon Emperor's Wild Magic didn't all arrived at the same time, there's always a century-long interval between each arrival. If that Dragon wanted it to happen that way, or was an accident, that's yet another thing Ainz may never know. But at the very least, such thing gives him a predictable timetable that he can use at his advantage, since he can prepare accordingly for each YGGDRASIL Advent just like he did for this one. If these 5 Players can become allies he will accept them, if they become enemies he will destroy them, as simple as that.

If they become allies of Nazarick that will be for the best since 4 of them are ageless Heteromorphs, so he will have a greater fighting force in preparation for the next Advent that will arrive 100 years after today. He never knows if an entire Guild full of combat-optimized Players will arrive, or if aggressive World Disasters or World Champions will be with them. He's deeply grateful that only 5 Players arrived this time, even if the Redeemed and/or Demon have the [World Disaster] Class they are still no match for Nazarick. And he's certain that neither the Half-Celestial, Insect, nor Human has the [World Champion] Class since only 9 Players in the whole game had it, and all were famous. Ainz recognized none of them, so he won't have to fight any World Champion this Advent.

In any case, Ainz is also ignorant of any method to return back to Earth, since the Dragon Emperor is dead, and no surviving True Dragon Lord is anywhere near the level he was, so any Wild Magic Spell he used cannot be replicated nor reversed by any modern practitioner of that magic.

_'What if they want to return, and turn against me because I have no method to return, or think I'm hiding it from them?'_

So many what ifs, Ainz has learned during his long life that considering possibilities without acting won't get him far anytime soon, but old habits truly die hard.

"You want me to go with you? I always wanted to see how other Players are like."

The man at his left side made him stop his long musing, he must've known he was lost in useless thoughts and wanted to break him out of it. He truly knows Ainz very well, but that's expected, it would be odd if he wouldn't.

"You want to come? I don't mind. But the scouting unit only expects me though. Seeing you may give them unnecessary shock."

"I'll use [Perfect Unknowable]. No biggie."

Sustaining a Spell of that Tier would indeed be no issue for him, his large mana pool and MP regeneration are phenomenal for someone of his Level, so being undetectable for prolonged periods of time is hardly difficult for him. Ainz felt genuine pride about the type of man he grew up to become, truly an excellent spellcaster.

"Mmm, what do you say Albedo, should he accompany me?"

"Seeing other Players with his own eyes would be a new experience, truly. He should seize any chance he has to grow."

The excellent man only faced one little issue, he already reached his Level Cap, meaning that he can't grow neither physically nor magically anymore. However, Ainz himself is well aware that there are plenty of ways to grow besides Leveling Up, since he himself has been unable to even reach Level 101 during the whole century he has spent in this world. Granted, the man wasn't a Player like he was, but everyone has a body limit, no matter who or what you are.

"Very well then, I will allow you to come. Try to remain undetected while observing the Players, consider it mental training. You must sustain the [Perfect Unknowable] Spell while simultaneously paying close attention to something else."

"Hardly a challenge, but alright. If I get to see other Players for the first time."

The man was cocky, but rightfully so. Prodigious individuals can occasionally be allowed to be arrogant. Sometimes.

"You are excited to see other Players, huh."

"I know what you're thinking old man, but rest assured, I won't just go to their door and challenge them to a fight, I'm not that impatient kid anymore. If they become enemies, I will destroy them with my magic, if they become allies, I will spar with them. One way or another, I get my challenge."

This man has faced virtually every single imaginable monster this world has to offer, and most of the time he came on top. If Ainz wouldn't be forbidding him to hunt down and kill the remaining True Dragon Lords, then he would be doing just that right now. So hungry for combat and the glory of victory, why did he grew up like that? Yet another thing Ainz doesn't knows.

"Very well. If it's like that, then you can definitely come. Just stay at my side and address me via telepathy, they don't have to know you're there after all."

"Easy enough. We have some hours left, I will take my best Equipment with me, you know, just in case it turns ugly."

The man just took off with a teleportation Spell and left Ainz alone with Albedo.

"He just said he has no intention of fighting, that boy, he will never learn..."

Albedo just chuckled softly.

"He simply looks up to you, Lord Momonga. The wonderful tales he grew up with surely influenced him a lot."

Ainz has told that man since he was a child countless stories of the Guild of Ainz Ooal Gown, epic tales of how he and his friends united to defeat invincible Bosses, overcome enemy Guilds, and even how they created the ultimate weapon, the [Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown]. In retrospective, it seems Albedo is right, such stories must've been the catalyst of that man's desire for epic adventure, death battles, and the overall overcoming of difficult obstacles.

"Even to this day he wishes to prove himself to you."

Albedo was right again, Ainz felt.

"But he has nothing left to prove, he's a genius that most likely surpassed me already, and the expansion campaign wouldn't have been so effective and smooth if not for him and his leadership skills. The entire world hails him a hero, what else does he yearns to achieve?"

He wondered that, but Ainz already knows what that man truly wants; to defeat beings that surpass him in combat, just like Ainz himself did plenty of times back in YGGDRASIL. There are no Dungeon Bosses nor World-class Enemies in this world, and the True Dragon Lords can't begin to compare with max Level YGGDRASIL beings, so other Players are the closest things that can give that man the level of battle he wants.

"I simply hope he doesn't just throws himself to danger. If either that Redeemed or Demon is a World Disaster, then even he won't come out unscratched."

"He goes confident to battle because he trusts you Lord Momonga, as well as Nazarick. Even in the impossible scenario where he is defeated, he knows you will return him to life."

"I would prefer it if he doesn't dies in the first place."

"We should continue to support him as we've done all this years, then."

"I guess we should. No matter how much I sometimes wanted to leave him to fend for himself, so he can grow independent, I could never force myself to."

"It shows what a truly caring being you are, Lord Momonga."

"That boy, no matter how much he grows, he will always be my little Shura."

Said Ainz with while reminiscing a warm memory of a little Half-Lich toddler in his arms...

**[Hours later] **

Ainz was floating in the sky, 100 metres above the Great Tomb of Nazarick. He was now fully stacked with his usual Divine-class gear, since he never knows what may happen, just like Shura said. Ainz always remains up there when he needs to be isolated to collect his thoughts. In just a few minutes the dawn of a new day will arrive, but this is no normal day, today he will lay his own invisible eyes on other Players, people from his original world, for the first time in 100 years. What should he do about that? Go to their door and welcome them? Destroy them and their base just to be safe? Ignore them, since they pose no threat besides their World-class Item?

_'[Herald of Maggedo] is supposed to summon an infinite amount of Demons to destroy the realm they were summoned in. If they consciously or accidentally activate it in this world, then things would get really ugly.'_

That Item is in the Demon Mage's inventory, he should keep an eye on them in case anything happens. While there's no way to access someone else's Item Box, Ainz is confident that he can sneakily take it from them should that Demon take it out again. If he can neutralize that Item, then those 5 would hardly be a challenge to Nazarick.

_'I would feel safer if I had [Ahura Mazda] in my Treasury. Oh well, maybe Seraphim will arrive in the next wave.'_

Only a few minutes now until dawn, the designated time when he agreed to arrive at the reconnaissance outpost to watch the Players himself. He then stopped musing and addressed the hidden figure floating near him.

"You can stop that, you know very well you can't hide from me."

The man that will accompany him, Shura, deactivated his cloaking Spell. He too was fully stacked with Divine-class gear, Equipment that used to belong to the other Magic Casters of Ainz Ooal Gown. One reason Ainz gave him such panoply was because this world lacked the quality materials found in YGGDRASIL, so even a Level 100 Blacksmith would be unable to craft even Relic-class gear in this world, so Ainz saw fit that Shura wears the Mage gear of his friends instead of the low quality gear of this world.

"I was almost certain I could hide this time, I'm even wearing the Equipment of your former Guildmates to enhance my abilities further. You have told me many times that you lack Thief Classes, how can you spot me every time?"

"Call it a sixth sense. There's absolutely no way I wouldn't recognize your presence."

"Hmph."

Shura is hailed worldwide as the mightiest Magic Caster in this world, and truth is, he does surpass even Ainz Ooal Gown in that regard. However, that is true only in pure raw power. When it comes to utility Spells and overall versatility, the God-King is Shura's superior. He should know that his non-combat Spells are inferior to the World Emperor's, but Shura is ever looking for ways to improve himself.

However, part of him hopes that he never surpasses the God-King, since if he does, he will have no other heights to look upwards to. He will stagnate, and a genius like him detests the lack of progress.

In any case, Shura now took a glance at his wristwatch, surely it was almost time.

"Just 2 minutes left until the first hour of the morning. Want me to go first?"

"Shura, how many times I've told you to practice patience? We will teleport together, you will remain hidden to spare the outpost personnel shock, and be sure to only mentally address me."

Shura simply nodded and reactivated his cloaking Spell again, only 1 minute left now.

"...you are nervous, old man."

"Oh, you can tell."

"I have a sixth sense too you know. There's no way I wouldn't recognize your mood."

"Well, better get to it right away then, it's time. Let's go."

Both used [Greater Teleportation] to immediately arrive at the outpost. The moment they arrived, the 6 Demi-Humans there immediately stand up and spoke in unison.

"Welcome, your Holy Majesty."

A Minotaur, a Troll, an Orc, a Bugbear, a Snakeman, and the Beastman that reported him hours earlier. Ainz addressed them in return.

"I want to thank you for your efforts, everyone. I will reward you all for your excellent work."

The 6 simply bowed to him, Ainz gave them permission to sit again and continue their work, and then took a glance at the flat crystals displaying the Players.

"Have they done anything?"

"No, my lord. They've just been conversing all night, and now they're staring at the landscape again."

"Surely the first time they've seen such panorama in their lives. Is that so, your Holy Majesty?"

"So Mr. Vidkar already updated you all. Yes, I'm certain is the first time they see such natural beauty."

"I personally had a hard time digesting what our comrade told us, what you told him my lord. I, I feel sorry for them."

The Snakeman said in a sorrowful tone. Ainz wondered how would the world react if they learn that YGGDRASIL was a virtual game, but he's certain that they wouldn't know what "virtual" means in the first place, so he should continue to spare such details. Maybe in a millennia or so, this world will be advanced and mature enough to be ready for the truth.

Actually, even Shura is unaware that YGGDRASIL was just a game. Is he ready to hear such thing?

_'Let's focus on the Players for now.'_

At that moment, the Orc approached Ainz with a highly decorated chair, must likely custom made for him.

"We just had a few hours, so forgive the shoddy work my lord."

"You didn't had to..."

"[Come on, just accept their kindness old man, they went to the trouble of making it.]"

Shura had a point, rejecting would be rude, so Ainz just gave up and sat in the chair they made for him. The 5 Players just continued to stare at the landscape for a long time before eventually deciding to explore their base.

_'Oh right, they haven't seen any other being in their base, I wonder how will they react.'_

Ainz remembers his shock when he found out that beings formerly made of data now were thinking people with minds and personalities. He had his emotional suppressor, so he never panicked, but no one among the 5 was an Undead, so how will they act in front of such revelation? Ainz won't miss a single detail, he's decided to learn as much as he can about them.

First, after exiting the throne room they came across several maids that bowed down to the 5. One of the maids said something, but the 5 just remained silent for a while, staring at each other. They're clearly dumbfounded.

"Those maids, are they Demons?"

The Bugbear asked aloud. It seems the Beastman also told them how approachable Ainz is, so it seems they will be asking questions as well. Not that Ainz minds of course.

"Half-Fiends to be precise, their exact Race is Fey'ri, half Elves."

Normally, Fey'ri would also sport leather wings just like all subtypes of Half-Fiends, but those maids lacked such thing. But the eyes, horns, tails and the characteristic pointy ears clearly showed they were Fey'ri.

"Oh, so Demons could reproduce with Humanoids in YGGDRASIL, just like Angels."

"They were plenty of hybrids in the Nine Realms, hybrids that wouldn't normally exist in this world."

Many voices of awe sounded in the outpost, they never imagined such thing it seems. There really is a lot this world still doesn't knows about YGGDRASIL.

The 5 Players exchanged dialogue with the maids for a good while, then kept looking at the rest of the floor. They found Brain Eaters in the kitchen who bowed and addressed them as well, most likely chefs judging by the clothes they had on, who also left them dumbfounded. Same as the Owl Birdmen that were in a large library.

Brain Eaters and Birdmen are well-known Races in this world, so the reconnaissance personnel didn't asked Ainz about them.

After 3 hours of walking around and using the facilities of the highest floor, the 5 eventually walked down to the Fourteenth Floor were 3 Level 95 Monsters resided. The Angel, Dragon, and Demon also bowed down to the Players, but it seems they were expecting it this time.

"Forgive me your Holy Majesty, but you said that such creatures aren't on par with the Guardian Gods, so they can't be a real threat in the event they become enemies, right?"

"Correct, they are very strong for sure, but not enough."

Truth was, the only Monster among the 3 that would prove to be a challenge is the Seraph Empyrean. Surely Ainz could defeat one himself, but as an Undead with maxed out Negative Karma, he wouldn't come out of a fight with a high-level Angel unscratched, same as Shalltear, Demiurge, and Albedo as well. Even Shura would have a hard time. Most of Nazarick's Monsters are Undead and Demons with Negative Karma as well, so a Level 95 Angel with powerful Divine Magic and Skills effective against evil-aligned beings would be troublesome. Such Monster would have to be overwhelmed with numbers to make sure Nazarick suffers no loses.

The Nirvannic Wyrm and Malebolge King are a different story. Even as a Level 95 Dragon and Demon respectively, they have no natural affinity that gives them any advantage of sorts, so any Guardian, Ainz himself or Shura can take care of either in a solo fight.

During what remained of the day the 5 Players explored the entirety of their now-different base, and when the dusk was near is when they stepped outside into the world. Once there, the 5 walked away in different directions to explore the surroundings, but this outpost has enough telescopes to keep track of each of them.

When night finally fell and the sky became starry, the 5 took to the skies, just like Ainz himself did 100 years ago.

_'Oh, the memories. I can't help but feel a strong sense of comradery with those 5. A desire to help them, be their guide to this world, and I don't even know them.'_

Ainz didn't knew them personally, yes, but they are Players just like him. They too originated from the same horrible Earth Ainz, Suzuki Satoru, was native off. Of all the beings in this world, only those 5 could be considered his true peers. The excitement to meet them now grew so big that his emotional suppressor had to kick in.

_'I want to meet them, I really do. But I can't risk it. I must do what's better for Nazarick, not just myself.'_

"[Then, how about I welcome them instead?]"

Shura was reading his mind, again. That [Telepathy] Skill of his can be too intrusive sometimes.

_'Boy, I won't risk you either. Any contact we make with them will have to be with intermediaries for now. We will approach them only when it's safe.'_

"[If I take bodyguards? Or some Guardians like uncle Cocytus?]"

_'Please understand Shura, it's not just for our safety, but theirs too. If things get out of hand and we fight, then we will lose their potential trust forever, and they will become our enemies.'_

The enemies of Nazarick are, by extension, enemies of the entire New World.

_'I've been in the position they are, confused and ignorant of what's out there. My transition into this world was not a smooth one, you forgot what was the cost of our current peace?'_

"[Yes, yes. Wars, massacres and other genocides, the fall of entire nations, deaths of countless innocents. I would never forget those boring history lessons.]"

Shura always enjoyed the stories Ainz told him about his days of YGGDRASIL, but never really cared about his exploits in this world. History was important, no matter how boring kids find it.

_'In any case, they just arrived. We should give them time, space to breathe, and see what they decide to do.'_

"[But if they become violent and need eliminating, you will send me at the front of the armies right?]"

This boy will never learn!

_'Alright, if I decide they must be destroyed, you will lead the charge.'_

"[Yes! I won't let you down old man. You will see what I'm truly capable of.]"

_'I know what you're capable of, you have nothing left to prove me boy.'_

"[Not just you old man. How can I stand in the same stage as you, if I can't defeat beings that surpass me just like you did back in YGGDRASIL?]"

_'...I see.'_

So that was it, Shura yearned to feel worthy, for himself. If nothing in this world can give him the worthy challenge he seeks, then only something out of this world can. The beings of Nazarick, they would never fight against Shura seriously, let alone with the intent to kill him, and the natives of this world are just trash to him, so those Players are the dreamed enemies of this boy.

The hours kept passing by. The reconnaissance personnel had Magic Items on them that negated fatigue and the need of sustenance, that's how they could remain awake and work 24/7, and both Ainz as well as Shura are tireless by virtue of their Race, so nobody could feel tired. More amazing was Shura's constant sustenance of the [Perfect Unknowable] Spell, surely his own ultra fast MP regeneration combined with the magic enhancing Divine-class gear of his former Guildmates makes such feat easy for a prodigy like him.

However, Ainz still spoke aloud.

"Thank you all for your hard work, everyone. You can return home to your families now."

"My lord?"

"This outpost will continue to keep an eye on that place, but now that we know where their base is, we can spare a rotating personnel."

Since before today nobody had any idea where the Advent would land in, outposts were spread literally everywhere, and the personnel in those places was kept to a minimum in order to have someone somewhere. The personnel wasn't even allowed a break during those days, hence the Magic Items, they were literally spread too thin. But now that they knew exactly where the Advent fell, the personnel could be allowed rotating work days, meaning that they could have their well deserved rest.

Ainz sent a message to Demiurge informing him of his choice, and not even 10 minutes later is when the new personnel arrived to replace the current one. The 6 Demi-Humans that remained locked up here for days now can finally return home, they didn't said it aloud, but judging by their tone when they said their respectful farewell to Ainz, he could tell they were relieved.

He may be the ruler of this world, but Ainz would never allow himself to become like the tyrannical companies that treated people like mere objects to be used until they broke. He even felt uncomfortable with leaving them locked up in outposts for days, away from their families, but the pragmatic side of him knew it was a necessary sacrifice. He was extremely glad the Players were found at last.

The new personnel, 15 people of varying Races, bowed down in respect and took their designated places. With more people, now they can scout the Players and their base more effectively.

Hours became days, the 5 Players seldom went out themselves, most of the time they sent Summons with sight-sharing Spells to scout the surrounding area. And by the 5th day, they tried something different. It seems their throne room has a function that allows far sight, but were reluctant to use it since base functions cost Gold they can no longer replenish. Ainz approves such cautiousness, but now he also approves calculated risks, like the decision to use it despite the cost in order to save themselves months of scouting.

The angle the outpost is stationed in doesn't allows a clear view of the large screen the 5 Players are seeing, so Ainz can't know what they see unfortunately. But whatever they were seeing, it clearly caught their eye since they spent more and more irreplaceable Gold to keep using the far sight function.

"Do you think that they spotted the surrounding nations my lord?"

"I imagine so."

"Is there a possibility that they will send a long range attack? Should we inform the countries?"

"I doubt attacking without reason or provocation would be their first move. Also, judging from the level of their servants and the size of their base, I doubt their castle even has the capacity to send attacks of such range."

Ainz was almost certain such base is a mid-level one, mid-to-high at best. Such bases don't have anything that could put the surrounding nations in danger.

In any case, the day eventually ended and the 5 Players stopped their scouting for now. They were speaking among themselves, they must be processing whatever they saw, most likely the 6 surrounding countries.

_'They must've been expecting a Human country, I bet.'_

How would've Ainz reacted had it been a Demi-Human country as the first nation he came across? At least, his NPC wouldn't have been so aggressive against the natives. Maybe.

2 days after that is when the 5 Players finally decided to go out and explore for real. They took a few maids with them and took off, judging by the direction their chariot travels, they are headed towards the Troll Kingdom. Ainz stand up after days of remaining seated in that decorated chair.

"My lord, what is it?"

"They are in the move, so I must be on the move too. This outpost will continue keeping an eye on their base, and the personnel will keep rotating every 12 hours, make sure you keep taking breaks too, you must be well rested and in optimal condition all times."

"Sure thing my lord, nothing will escape our gaze, we swear."

_'Time to go Shura.'_

"[Where are we going now?]"

_'The floating castle of Eryuentiu, we will keep an eye on them from the skies.'_

"[Oh, there. It's been a while since I saw Tsa.]"

Both Ainz and Shura used [Greater Teleportation] after a week of remaining in the same place. Neither felt stiff however, as high-level Heteromorphs there's no way a mere week of inactivity will make their bodies feel tense. In an instant they were in the former Guild Base of the Greed Kings, the first thing they noticed was the sole being living here, which immediately addressed both.

"Ainz, and Shura. Your presence here means that you found them, no?"

Shura didn't deactivated his [Perfect Unknowable] Spell, but being spotted was no surprise to him. As a weilder of Wild Magic, the individual living here could easily see through any concealing Tier Magic Spell. No point in sustaining the Spell so Shura made himself visible again after a whole week.

"That's right Tsa, we did. They're on the move, and I wish to keep an eye on them using this base."

"I will keep an eye on them too. That was the deal remember?"

"Of course, this base is still yours after all. I would never use it without your consent."

"Very well then, where are they now?"

"We must go Northwest, to the Troll Kingdom."

"Shouldn't you call your own forces of Nazarick first to station them here in preparation for an attack? Anything could happen, what if these beings are like that accursed lot?"

"I've been watching them for a whole week, Tsa. They aren't mad killers like that greedy group, they're confused, just like I was."

"According to you. What if they are headed to that country just to ravage the Demi-Humans living there? Like those damned 8 did to my own people?"

"Look Tsa, I know you're wary of my kind, and I will call my forces eventually, but right now I want to make sure they don't have such a hard time fitting in this world."

"You want to help them, yet you don't even know if they will become enemies."

"Is because I don't want them to become enemies. We have much more to gain if they become our allies. The greatest victories are won without fighting."

"If they do become enemies, we will destroy them, just like we agreed upon, no?"

Shura just remained silent as Ainz and the Dragon Lord kept arguing. He was an ally of Nazarick now, so Ainz forbade him of challenging the Dragon to a death fight, but Shura still felt confident that he could defeat Tsa in single combat. His arrogance wasn't megalomania, True Dragon Lords are among the many enemies Nazarick has faced over the last century, and Shura was lucky enough to face one, the one known as the Brightness Dragon Lord.

He didn't killed the Dragon though, as Shura was about to deliver the final Spell on the wounded Dragon who was at death's door, that cowardly lizard escaped with a Wild Magic Spell. To this day he regrets not using the [Lopsided Duel] Spell to follow the Dragon wherever he went, and swore to finish the job next time he saw him.

Both eventually stopped arguing, Ainz somehow convinced Tsa to follow the Players first, and prepare to fight them later. Ainz once told Shura that before becoming a Deity of Life and Death, he used to be something called "salaryman" that convinced people of purchasing stuff. He didn't knew exactly what that meant, but it had something to do with using your words to persuade others to do what you want. A truly useful ability for a ruler.

First, they cloaked the floating castle. It wasn't an innate function of the Guild Base, but rather a part of a system of Magic Devices installed in the castle, a system made precisely to scout the next wave of Players from afar. Tsa gave them permission of course, nobody is more wary of Players than the Dragon Lord. Other functions like telescopes were installed as well, this entire floating castle was almost entirely remodeled into a floating reconnaissance outpost.

With preparations ready, they used a massive teleportation Spell to transport the entire floating castle all the way to the royal capital of the Troll Kingdom, and once there they used the telescopes to spot the slowly approaching Players. Tsa was now looking at them for the very first time.

"Only 5, huh. Weeding them should be easy enough."

Shura then spoke with his mouth for the first time after 7 days.

"Not so much if there's a World Champion or World Disaster among them."

There was no shortage of tales depicting the power of Touch Me and Ulbert among the stories Ainz told him while growing up. Surely if some, or all, of the new Players are on par with those 2 former residents of Nazarick, then they would make worthy opponents indeed.

"No World Champion among them, that's for sure."

"Oh. But World Disaster is still possible?"

"Maybe, unlike the World Champions, World Disasters were far more numerous, and not all were famous or noteworthy. Surely there could be a World Disaster among them, we can't rule it out."

Ainz certainly hoped there was no World anything among them. Even Shura isn't on par with the likes of Touch Me or Ulbert, Divine-class Equipment or not. Besides, the borrowed gear Shura uses may indeed be of the highest caliber, but it's still borrowed gear, none of the panoply he wears was custom-made for him. He's still FAR stronger than anything native of this world while fully equipped, but the new Players surely custom-made their gear to fit their specific builds, Ainz is not sure if Shura could emerge victorious against a combat-optimized Player that has proper PvP skill, almost everything Shura has faced has always been notably inferior to him.

It took some days, but eventually the Players arrived to Troll Kingdom territory, their chariot stopped half kilometre away of a border village, and they stepped out. Seems they have no intention of just introducing themselves as Players, they really are being cautious. What will they do now? Ainz couldn't wait to see.

_'Rest assured, new guys. I'm watching you, this world won't give you the same amount of trouble it gave me, count on it.'_

**Is Ainz looking a bit too nice with the new Players? Rest assured, Nazarick is still the most important thing to him, if the 5 become enemies he will squash them without a second thought. What he does feel however is a sense of "kinship" so to speak, he was in the same position they are, so he can relate to some degree. If he can make the New World welcome them, they won't have a reason to become enemies, so everyone wins.**

**You may also be wondering why was Albedo calling Ainz, Momonga, when they are only among themselves. Well, many things can happen in 100 years, I will leave it at that for now.**

**Also, some may be aware that the floating castle is what gives Eryuentiu water to survive, so wouldn't the city of the desert suffer water shortage without the floating Guild Base around? Ainz also took care of that while transforming the floating castle into a flying reconnaissance outpost, the city now has large water reserves that can sustain the city for a few weeks without the castle around, that way they don't have to worry about leaving a whole city to dehydrate while they observe people of interest like Players.**

**See you again next Chapter. **


	7. Chapter 7: Travels and Schemes

**A not-so-lame title this time. I hope. Not much to say here, so I will see you in the Afterword. **

Chapter 7: Travels and Schemes

The 5 finally got near the first village they spotted with the watchtower system 2 days ago. Well, for a Level 100 Player 500 meters is indeed a short distance. They stopped their chariot and stepped outside, it would look weird if an exotic-looking vehicle like that just appears out of nowhere being ridded by an armored 4 winged being with 3 eyes and a maid with horns and tail at the driver's side.

"Half kilometre away is the Troll village we saw, what do we do? Just go and say hi?"

"We don't even know if we speak the same language. If we don't, how do we even learn it in the first place?"

"If we can't even talk with the inhabitants of this world, then we really will have to live in the Crystal Castle forever. Sounds kinda sad."

"Let's not give up, we should at least try to communicate. Maybe people here speak the same language we do."

"What are the odds of that though."

"We will never know just by standing here."

"Maybe my Skill can help..."

"In that case, what about the maids?"

Should the maids accompany them? They do refuse to leave their side. However, they are still Half-Fiends, if this world has a concept of evil Demons, then the maids' appearance could lead to all kinds of trouble. There's also the possibility that this world has no idea what Demons are, and the maids' looks might just be a bit weird to the people here. There are Humans here though, so maybe they can pass as some type of Humanoid subspecies? Asmodel had something he wanted to ask the maids about.

"So, one thing. Can you girls shape-shift into Human form?"

Mid-level Celestials and Fiends have a [Polymorph] Racial Skill that allows them to take a Humanoid appearance. He, Anchelo and Meitro could take Human form if they wished, but what about the Fey'ri maids?

"We're terribly sorry, but we are unable to take any other form that isn't the one we currently have."

Oh, it seems they are low-level after all. So there's no viable way to alter their looks since you can't apply [Polymorph] to someone else. To be safe they should wait in the chariot, or simply go back to the Crystal Castle, but the 5 know they will never agree to that. What to do?

"Can you equip Items?"

"We're not sure, but I think we should be able to."

"Let's try this then."

Meitro took out a cloak out of his Item Box. This Top-class Item was imbued with illusion Spells that could render the user invisible to those without Thief Classes or detection Skills. He asked the maid to try it, and it worked, even Level 100 beings like them could barely see a blur in place of the maid that's wearing the [Robe of Conceal]. All 5 had similar Items to that one, so there was enough invisibility gear to hide the 5 maids. Now they can avoid issues with superstitious people when they enter villages, as long as there's no high-level Rogues, that is.

"That's taken care of, now us."

The Half-Angel, Demon and former Demon used [Polymorph] to take Human form. In this state, their overall base stats decreased a bit, but so did their Racial weaknesses and penalties. In all honesty, the [Polymorph] Skill (or Spell, depending of user) was more useful for roleplay and PvE than PvP, since the small decrease of Racial weakness and penalties wasn't enough to justify its use in combat. Also, since it's a mid-level Skill, sustaining it permanently is no issue for them, and even if they had it in Spell form, [Polymorph] would still drain a minuscule amount of MP, an amount that their MP regeneration would easily outstrip.

"Only thing left is you, Ragnar. I assume you have no way to hide your appearance?"

"I'm afraid not."

Only the 3 meters tall Insect looked like a sore thumb in the group. They decided to look like Humans since they confirmed the existence of Humans in this world, and judging by the sole Human they spotted, the Demi-Humans of these countries aren't hostile towards them. They decided against showing themselves as they truly are since, if this world has tales of evil Demons, then they most likely have tales about divine Angels as well.

If Angels are seen as envoys of a Deity, like they are in Abrahamic religions, then Anchelo could be treated like a holy messenger of sorts. Being worshipped by the mobs of the Crystal Castle is cringy enough for them, they don't need even more unnecessary attention like that. Plus, Meitro could be shunned, and maybe even attacked on sight if the folk are superstitious enough, and the maids too must likely.

How Asmodel would be treated is anyone's guess.

But if that's the case, then maybe there's no need for Ragnar to hide himself. Beetles aren't neither holy nor unholy beings in most religions, at least the religions of Earth. What if beetles have religious significance here, and Ragnar is the one that calls unneeded attention instead? Knowing nothing of this world really is frustrating, but that's why they're exploring it in the first place.

"Last thing is our gear, what we are wearing now may look too outlandish for them."

Judging by the clothes everyone in this world wears, the ones they saw at least, people use clothes made of simple fabrics, they even saw some Demi-Humans sporting suits! Civilization isn't as advanced as the one on Earth, but it's surely a bit further than the medieval era. They should really stop using their preconceived notions of "Parallel World" stories.

"Anything that doesn't looks martial or too exotic should be alright."

Normally they would be wary of surprise attacks, sudden appearances of high-level Monsters, and things like that while exploring unknown territory, but they spent an entire day scouting the surrounding countries and the only thing they found were Demi-Humans and a single Human, plus not a single individual seemed to be specially strong, or use quality gear. They were guards and soldiers, yes, plus occasional Magic Casters, but the armor and weapons of the former, alongside the robes and staves of the latter, seemed to be mere Low-class, Mid-class if they're generous. The castles and other important places that had vaults containing what seemed to be national treasures had panoply of seemingly higher class, but nothing seemed to be above High-class, and even if it was quality gear, nobody was using it.

Of course, it's very likely that appearances are deceiving, and everyone in this world is above Level 100 for all they know, but such ignorance is, again, the very reason they chose to go out and see this world. In the end, they decided that it's better to look non-threatening while walking towards the village so to not incite any conflict with anyone they come across, and the maids will have to hide immediately if anyone appears too. If something out of their league appears they just use [Mass Teleport] and return to safety.

"There we go, this should look 'normal' enough."

"You think?"

"I hope."

Their Divine-class gear was nowhere to be found, instead they had plain-looking clothes covering their bodies. Even Ragnar was now wearing loose trousers. These clothes are Artifact-class Items that can't be modified nor customized in any way, but that also means that they're completely unbreakable. So that makes Artifact-class clothes the best form of protection? WRONG. Artifact-class clothes give virtually no protection of any sort, Low-class armor raises DEF stats more than the clothes they're using. It's true they're unbreakable, but only the clothes themselves are, any attack aimed at them will just pass through the clothes and hit them directly.

At the end of the day, clothes like the ones they're wearing are just cosmetics, next to useless in real fights. Still, replacing heavy and cold armor with warm fabric felt very refreshing on their new bodies.

They may now be totally unprotected and unarmed, but they're still Level 100 beings that know how to fight. If this world really is limited to just Low to High-class gear, then the overall Level of the natives may be anywhere near Level 30-40, maybe Level 40-50 at most. If that's the case, then even as exposed as they are, they could take care of anything they face. Magic Casters in particular shine the most in unharmed combat just like Monks do, and more than half of them are, so they have little to fear.

"If this was YGGDRASIL, the shitty devs would spawn a Raid Boss the moment we step in that low-level village."

"Imagine if that happens. Ha!"

The 5 Players and their maids now were leisurely walking towards the village after saving their chariot and Golem Horse back into their inventory. It was half kilometre away so it may take a good while to get there, but there's no hurry, they even took the chance to enjoy the view as they walk. They decided to make the most of this life after all, overloading oneself with stress is the opposite of enjoying life.

When night fell they made up camp, Angels have a Racial Skill called [Heavenflame Vision] that shoots fire from the eyes, and Demons have a Racial Skill called [Hellfire Breath] that spews fire from the mouth (Asmodel has both skills by the way), so making a bonfire was trivial for them. The 10 sat around and spent the whole night telling stories and eating snacks, this time the maids accepted the food and drinks offered to them, it was overall a very good time.

And the next day is when they could finally see the Troll village in the horizon.

"Okay, here we go. I think the girls should hide now just in case."

At those words, the maids of today immediately used their borrowed hiding Items to become invisible to low-level entities. As Level 100 beings, the 5 have Skills that allow them to feel the maids' presence since the Items they have are just mid-tier. If they were using Legacy-class hiding Items or above, then only a Level 100 Rogue could detect them. They really hope there are no high-level beings where they go.

"So remember, we are a traveling group from a far off land. We all okay with telling them that back story?"

Asmodel made a simplistic, but still believable, origin for their small group.

"Assuming we can even talk to them."

Anchelo sounded more pessimistic than realistic. Hence why Asmodel asked him the following.

"Well, you don't think that my Skill will work here?"

"Oh, you mean [Knowledge of Oghma]?"

"That one."

[Knowledge of Oghma] was a Skill Asmodel got when he unlocked the powerful Job Class [Spell Saint]. The fluff said that it allows the Magic Caster to "understand all mortal languages". In YGGDRASIL, that Skill allowed the instant translation of encrypted messages and written texts, basically a deciphering Skill. However, if all fluff from the game became real, then maybe [Knowledge of Oghma] would indeed allow Asmodel to understand this world's languages. Assuming they're different of course.

Only Asmodel has it though. [Spell Saint] is a pure Mage Class, Anchelo only took Cleric and hybrid Classes, Meitro is a Summoner that only took conjuring Classes, and Teinu as well as Ragnar are pure Warriors. If this world does have alien languages, and the fluff of Asmodel's Skill does work, then he would have to be everyone's translator. It's still much better than not being able to communicate at all though.

"I still hope that they don't just jump to violence, communication is truly pivotal in these scenarios."

"Too bad you 3 can't polymorph into Trolls or other Demi-Humans. And Teinu has no way to disguise himself as a Demi-Human, me neither. I assume they seldom see Humans or giant insects in these lands."

"Right, we only saw a single Human that time after all, and found no insectoids even after spending the entire day looking at the surrounding countries."

Surely if a group of 4 Humans and a 3 meters tall Insect would look bizarre in a Human settlement, then even more so in a Demi-Human settlement. But it was still better than presenting themselves as creatures of Abrahamic lore. Again, assuming such religions even exist here, but better be safe than sorry, they felt.

They got near the entrance eventually, the village had a VERY tall stone wall built around it, truly a Troll-sized settlement, and also a pair of stone statues twice as large as Ragnar near the equally large entrance. Golems maybe? They could try to use [All Appraisal Magic Item] to confirm it, but they also decided to hide their abilities as well. Appraisal Magic may be rare, or doesn't exists here for all they know, unnecessary attention is really the last thing they want. Eventually a little opening in the middle of the large city gates displayed a pair of trollish eyes, surely to see who was visiting.

"This is it guys, the moment of truth."

Said Metro in a volume only his friends could hear. Their first contact with beings of this world, all 5 were nervous.

The gates opened and they saw 2 Trolls standing there, one was wearing heavy armor and had a large, but appropriately sized for Trolls, spear in its hand, and the other was wearing a robe and had a relatively large staff in hand. Surely a Warrior and Mage that stand guard for any hostile instruder. The Warrior had a helmet that covered the head, but the voice they heard next clearly came behind it.

"Hello there, welcome to our humble village of Khoul. May we know who you are?"

Their language, they understand it! Is it because of magic, or just so happens that this world developed the same languages as Earth? In any case, verbal communication is possible, what a relief.

"Um."

Teinu got near Asmodel and elbowed him.

_'What the, me!? You guys always pushing everything to me...'_

"Oh, _ahem_, hi. We are a traveling group from a far off land, and we saw this village on the way, so we wondered if we could find a place to stay for a few days, and maybe get some directions."

The Troll Mage then spoke next.

"Well of course. If you allow me to verify that you carry no danger to the village, you can stay."

The large Magic Caster stepped forward and raised its hand. Then a colorful magic circle appeared on its palm.

"Is that, Appraisal Magic?"

"I'm appraising you, yes. Is security protocol of course, you seem nice folk, so I'm certain you have no dangerous Items hidden anywhere."

Not only the same language, but the same Tier Magic as well! Just what is this world, the 5 are determined to find out. The Troll Mage individually appraised each of them in search for dangerous objects, but found nothing, the Mage failed to spot the invisible maids too. However, it seems having nothing was weird, judging by what the Troll said next.

"You have nothing on you besides your clothes, how did you travel from a far off land without food, or money?"

Oh, drats. They were so focused on having no dangerous weapons on them, that they totally forgot about the things normal people are supposed to have while traveling. 5 individuals traveling long distances without sustenance of any sort can be considered more suspicious than armed individuals. They can't just pop out things from their Item Boxes right now since they also failed to spot anyone having pocket space inventories in the surrounding countries, and is too late now since the Mage in front of them already knows they have no food nor money of any sorts, just making it appear out of nowhere would be blowing their cover.

"Actually...we arrived here on carriage, we left it some distance away in case we were denied entrance to this village. We left our supplies there too."

Anchelo to the rescue! It seems his wits aren't limited to just combat. Will the Trolls believe it though?

"Oh, and since you had no idea what type of settlement this was, you left your valuables far away in case someone keeping guard on these gates attempted to mug you, correct?"

"Please, don't be offended."

"On the contrary! Such cautiousness when traveling unknown lands is laudable, truly. I commend your foresight."

Being praised for their foresight when they obviously lack it feels, wrong.

"So, can we stay here? We aren't Trolls."

"So what if you aren't Trolls. People are people no matter their Race, if you are tired and want a place to stay for a time, then by all means, welcome to our village."

They passed the first trial, somehow. Will their future trials in this world be just as difficult? But wait, the trial isn't over yet, there are some things left to clarify, so Asmodel asked the Troll Mage.

"By the way, what type of currency do you accept? We have some jewels and, other gems."

He wanted to say coins, but YGGDRASIL Gold is not only an unrenewable resource for them, but the minted design on each coin is extremely complex and flawless in each individual coin. If this world is closer to the medieval era of Earth, then such complexity of design and perfect symmetry would look way to suspicious. The gems and jewels Asmodel meant are mere cosmetic pieces that were only good to make self-made gear and other customized Items look pretty, in the game they were incredibly cheap, and sometimes free. Using data crystals to enchant them was possible, but almost nobody bothered to, since the type of minerals dropped by Monsters and Bosses had far more data capacity than those below-low-level ores. Giving them away is hardly a loss.

"Of course this village accepts precious stones. You can sell them here for money you can use in the surrounding countries as well."

With their money issue taken care of, the 5 got a good distance away and, when they made sure the Troll guards couldn't see them, took out the same Golem Horse they used to get here, but this time they decided to use a simple, plain-looking carriage that has no magical properties, but it was however large enough to allow someone like Ragnar entry. Well, plain-looking to them, perhaps this Mid-class vehicle may look extremely odd in this world. Or not, since Trolls are naturally big, so their vehicles must be equally big too. But now that they had their lack of preparations so clearly rubbed in their faces, they covered everything this time.

They placed several miscellaneous objects and other daily livelihood things in their carriage's trunk, what they considered medieval livelihood at least. Now each carried a pouch filled with several gems that they saved in their clothes' pockets, but this is a Troll village they're visiting, the tiny jewels in their pouches may not amount to anything here, so they also placed large bags filled with big and heavy precious stones in the carriage's trunk.

Only food and water were missing. What they had in their inventories was modern-looking dishes and water recipients, so they couldn't use them with their cover. But they could just tell the Trolls that they ran out of food and water by the time they found their village, maybe that will make their welcome a bit more warmer.

Their preparations complete, the 10 took the same positions as they arrived here with the previous chariot; Asmodel and a now invisible maid at the driver's seat, and the other 4 with their also invisible maids inside. The pulling animal was a Golem, so the extra weight meant nothing to it, and slow but steady they returned to the large city gates.

"What a tiny creature is pulling your carriage!"

The Troll Warrior exclaimed in bewilderment. The Troll Mage was just as surprised, but spoke next with a calm tone.

"Forgive me, protocol also says that I must appraise your pulling beast and vehicle."

"Of course, we don't mind."

"...oh, a Golem Horse! I've never seen anything like it. That explains it."

Oops, are Golem animals that rare here? None of the 3 casters can call forth plain-looking horses or other animals with Summoning Magic, so they opted for a construct. Are Golems something only few people possess in this world? In YGGDRASIL they were ubiquitous, but they should know by now that this world is not YGGDRASIL, preconceived notions are truly hard to get rid off.

"Those gems you have there, they are worth a truly huge sum! Are you 5 by any chance royalty? Nobility? Members of a wealthy family perhaps? One of you isn't Human though, so maybe work companions?"

Another misstep. They should've just left a few large gems instead of several, they really suck at pretending to be "normal" here.

"Well, um...the truth is...our home country has plenty of stones like these, they aren't that valuable where we come from. But maybe they are valuable here."

YGGDRASIL did have countless worthless gems with low data capacity everywhere, so Asmodel wasn't exactly lying.

"I see, a country that has large amounts of jewels to spare. If precious stones are so common where you come from, then I can see why you have such modest clothing, transport and utensils."

Precious ores, minerals, and metals are precious in the first place because of their scarcity. If gold was as common and mundane as dirt, then it wouldn't be more valuable than dirt. It seems that's also true in this world. In any case, they succeeded in dressing normally at least.

"So, you think we can sell them for a good amount?"

"Yes you can! We can even introduce you with a respectable merchant that's staying in this village right now. Gah, go inform Mr. Gei that he has a great potential purchase!"

The Troll Warrior, who's name seems to be Gah, went off to find this merchant they mentioned, must likely a Troll just like them. Oh well, the sooner they can learn about this world's currency the better.

**[Hours later] **

The 5 were invited to the most luxurious inn in the village. Granted, villages still aren't cities, so the inn wasn't that extravagant, but it was still very clean and tidy, much better than the dirty and unkept places that medieval village inns used to be. They got a nice sum of money for some of the gems they had, turns out their stones were so valuable that the merchant couldn't purchase all of them, and advised them to visit a large city to get even more money for the rest if they so wanted. While they expected this world's money to be in coinage, they still weren't expecting what they got.

"Are all coins like this?"

"Doubt it, smaller Races must use smaller coins."

The first money they got on this world were big coins. Very, very big coins. They could hold a single coin with both hands. Using Appraisal Magic they discovered that this coins are actually flat circular stones covered with thin alloy skin, depending on value the alloy skin can be copper, silver, gold, or platinum. They are finely minted though, so they could see the effort that the Trolls put to make their money.

Using stone covered with alloy skin makes sense considering how much ore would require to make a 100% pure coin of copper or silver of this size, not to mention how expensive the creation of gold and platinum coins would be. The merchant told them that this coins are very valuable in countries with smaller Races, and he was right it seems since even if only the skin is precious metal, the skin of a single Troll coin can still be melted to create several smaller coins.

"So what next? We visit the rest of this country? Move to others?"

"I want to visit the Orc country to ask them about the nearby Human country, or countries."

Granted, only 1 of them is still a Human in flesh, but the 4 Heteromorphs were former Humans, surely they are all curious about this world's humanity, how different it is from Earth.

"Can't we ask about Human nations here? Surely they must know."

"We forgot to ask that Troll merchant, I assume someone of his profession travels a lot."

"We have plenty of chances to ask, this is our first day in the first village we come across, let's enjoy ourselves a bit."

"It's almost dusk, we should rest for now."

The beds in their current room are, naturally, very big. All 10 could fit in a single bed and still have room to stretch, but there are 5 beds in total so no need to share sleeping room. Also, in a few hours the maids will rotate, and the new maids will arrive with fresh food and new books to read. All 5 shared a large Troll cuisine dish they purchased in the inn a while ago, but still had room for more yummy food. After a day full of ups and downs, they felt that they earned a good rest.

"Um, we should buy some ingredients for the chefs now that we're here."

"First thing tomorrow, promise."

**[Far away] **

"You see? They're harmless."

"Hmmmm."

Ainz knew Tsa would never trust new Players off the bat, it took many years for him to win the Dragon's trust after all. But at the very least, he wanted Tsa to know that the new Players are nothing like the Greed Kings.

"Ainz."

"Yes? What is it."

"I have an idea."

"I'm NOT destroying them for no reason."

"Not destroying them, I mean they destroying my hidden brethren."

"Uh?"

"You have told me several times that you won't risk your family of Nazarick in a campaign to take down the malevolent Dragon Lords that are currently hiding."

"Correct. Even with the info you've given me, Wild Magic is too unpredictable, and the fact it bypasses Tier Magic restrictions makes it worse."

"Come on, old man. You remember how easily I trashed that shiny bastard? Wild Magic is nothing to us."

"It is you who fails to remember, idiot kid. The Brightness Dragon Lord is the weakest member of our kind, using him as a measurement of our power shows what an immature brat you are."

Calling Shura an "idiot kid" and a "brat" in front of Ainz, the Dragon really dislikes him it seems. Tsa may be the only real benevolent True Dragon Lord, but he's still a Dragon, Shura's constant disrespect and insults towards his kind and his near extinct magic art must have him on edge. Ainz should talk with him, remind him that Tsa is an ally and should be treated as such.

"_Ahem_, so what is your idea? You've told me that your armor isn't enough to defeat those evil Dragons, and you don't want to abandon your post here."

"Those new Players, they don't belong to Nazarick, so their demise won't be a loss to you right?"

"...right."

"So what if we direct them towards the hiding places of those that we want to cull, but we can't as of now? If they defeat those Dragon Lords, good for us. If they are defeated, we lose nothing."

Tsa's request made sense. For many years now, the remaining True Dragon Lords have been a constant issue in the back of their minds. Nazarick has defeated some in the past, but according to Tsa, the specially malevolent Dragon Lords they are talking about are on a whole other level. Surely they would come on top if they fight, Ainz was certain, but Tsa told him that those specific Dragon Lords belonged to an Anti-Players Alliance formed centuries ago made especially to fight against Players. Those Dragons spent decades honing their skill and developing deadly Wild Magic Spells, all with the sole purpose of destroying YGGDRASIL beings.

After hearing that, Ainz wasn't sure anymore. The best he could do was keep an eye on each of those Dragons, learn as much as he can about them, but all they have done for years is just slumber. Why do Dragons sleep so much? Heck, one of those Dragons is an Undead, even Undead Dragons need to sleep!? In any case, Ainz would never risk a fight like that until he's certain he can win, so this cold war against the Anti-Player Dragon Lords has continued for many, many years. Perhaps this new Players will tilt the balance in their favor.

If the new guys can win, then great. If they can't win, but leave the Dragons in a weakened state, then they just have to swoop in and deliver the final blow. If they are defeated without leaving a scratch on the Dragons, at the very least they will have new information about their fighting abilities.

It was a great plan, it carried no risk to Nazarick, and in any possible scenario they win something. Only a small thing was keeping Ainz from fully agreeing with Tsa's plan.

_'Am I really going to risk the lives of 5 people from my original world for my own selfish reasons? How would I have felt back then if I was being manipulated by someone else? Didn't I promised to myself that I would help them? If they find out afterwards, what answer would I have for them?'_

"Let me guess, you don't feel good about risking people from your previous world, right?"

Shura does know him very well.

"Tsa's scheme is truly beneficial for us, Shura. Getting rid of that constant threat to our world without sacrificing strength and resources is a heavensent. However, if there's a way to send them hidden support, then I will truly have no objections."

"You are being too soft towards them."

"The support is to fully ensure their victory, Tsa. If even the support isn't enough, then I will call them back...and leave the new Players to their luck."

He may have a slight kinship towards the new guys, but Nazarick is still his one and only priority. He would never sacrifice his friends' children for some Players he never met, even if they come from his same world.

"Can I be part of that support?"

"Hm...alright. But you won't go alone, and depending of the situation you will either aid the Players or flee. Understand?"

"Yes! At last, I will have a shot against those accursed lizards."

Ainz does hope that the new Players are capable enough to not need the support. Shura may be a top-notch mage, but he hates sending him to danger.

"Will those 6 be part of the support?"

Tsa was talking about the specially powerful Undead that were standing near them, a part of the "forces" that he was talking about before. A Grim Reaper Thanatos, an Overlord Wiseman, a Greater Graveyard, a Death Emperor, an Underlord Vulture, and a Revenant King. Each Undead was Level 95, but because of the corpse material that Ainz used to create them as permanent existences, each Monster is actually way stronger than Level 95, their stats actually rivalled Level 100 beings. But considering the bodies Ainz used as their base, it makes sense why they're so strong.

The Dragon asked such question in a sad tone. Again, something that makes sense considering whose corpses Ainz used to create them.

"Those 6 aren't NPC tied to Nazarick, if they are destroyed I have no way of reviving them. And I also have no way of making more Undead of their level as of now."

"If you're never placing them in battle, why make them filthy Undead in the first place? Why desecrate their memories and pollute their bodies, for nothing!!"

Tsa sounded furious. Shura pointed his hand towards the Dragon, but Ainz signalled him to stop.

"Tsa, listen to me. I didn't said I wouldn't place them in battle, I was simply weighting my options as I always do. If I do reach the conclusion that sending them into the battlefield is beneficial, then that's what I will do. I didn't turned them into Undead just because, I have every intention of not letting them go to waste."

"You couldn't just let them rest, could you?...I will never forgive you. Ally of mine or not."

Ainz just sighed in defeat.

"[Were those 6 that important to him, old man?]"

_'They were the first beings of power that shared his pacifist and accepting ways, the first he could call true friends. I knew what I was doing, when I turned those 6 into Undead. I told Tsa that continuing to protect the people of this world, even as reanimated corpses, would be something they would want.'_

"[And you truly believe that?]"

_'Shura, they are dead. I doubt those 6 really care what I or anyone does with their bodies.'_

"[Heh, so much for the first Gods of this world. To think one of them was an Overlord like you...]"

**Oof, I'm running out of things to say in these Afterwords. I hope you don't mind if there comes a day when I no longer write Afterwords.**

**What I do wanna say, however, is that permanent high-level Undead isn't the only thing Ainz got from those 6, it has something to do with a special Skill only he has in the New World, and explains the existence of a certain character as well.**

**See you next Chapter! **


	8. Chapter 8: The Gods of the New World

**I've been looking forward to releasing this Chapter, I had a very good time writing it, so I hope you have a good time reading it.**

**Till the Afterword. **

Chapter 8: The Gods of the New World

The young-looking man was walking around the Tenth Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Lord Ainz may be away, but this is still the abode of the Supreme Beings, so servants are always around to keep it looking as such. The passing Homunculus Maids bowed down to the man, and he bowed in return. He never really understood why the maids treated him with such respect, they may be Level 1 NPC, but they are still direct creations of the Supreme Beings, just like the Guardian Gods are. The man isn't a Player like the Supreme Beings, nor an NPC like them, he just happens to be the son of a Guardian God and a mortal native of this world, a "Demi-God" according the songs that the bards sing about his exploits worldwide.

Maybe it was his contribution to the expansion campaign decades ago? Shura was the leader of that campaign, and he almost always gets all the credit for that. Then maybe the fact that he's an entity that can successfully combine the powers of YGGDRASIL and of this world? He can use high-level Warrior Skills and Martial Arts simultaneously, and as a Paladin, this man can also use magic from Other systems, a Tier Magic system apart from Arcane, Divine, and Spiritual Magic. The God-King for instance has called him "an amazing existence" because of that, but even then, he isn't as powerful as the fabled Champion of Justice of the Supreme Beings, and his fellow "Demi-God" Promet Heus is also an amazing existence just like him, so this man still felt himself lacking something to brag about.

"You should be proud of yourself", his father always says, and his late mother also told him many times how proud she was of him back when she was alive, but as a carrier of his grandfather's will, he can't be content nor complacent with what he is right now. Shura and Promet also agree with that sentiment. Even as "capped" beings, the 3 of them still seek for ways to improve themselves further, even if their bodies refuse to get any stronger. At that moment of reflexion, a little, innocent, and adorable voice called out his name.

"Tatchi! Tatchi!"

A 4 years old girl was running towards him, arms stretched so this man, Tatchi, could pick her up in his arms. If it weren't for the little curved horns in her head and her yellow slit eyes, then this little girl would be the definition of a cute Angel thanks to the little pale white wings sprouting from her hips, and her pure white hair too.

"Hey there, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your mom?"

"Mommy has work now, so she said I could play."

"No one to play with you? Your elder sister? Your big brother?"

"They are away now."

And her father and eldest brother are away too, no family to play with this little girl, and playing with maids isn't the same. Tatchi felt really bad, but that's how things are, this world can't run itself after all.

"Guess I'll play with you then. Maybe we can go to the Treasury to play with Promet too."

"Yeeeees!"

Her little chubby face flared up with joy at having friends to play with now. Granted, neither him nor Promet are related to her by blood, (well, perhaps Promet could still be called her relative, maybe) but Tatchi and Promet are the closest thing this little girl has to family after her parents and siblings. Her brothers and sister consider them family too, another thing that Tatchi feels he doesn't deserves. His skill with the sword and overall combat capacity are only surpassed by his humility. If there is one selfish desire he has, however, is the opportunity to participate in the battle against the new Players that arrived to this world. Assuming they declare war, of course.

Word already came out and spread throughout Nazarick, only 5 Players arrived to this world. Their Races and possible builds are already speculated, but there are 3, maybe 4, Players that called Tatchi's attention; the Insect and the Human both seem to be Warriors just like he is, and the Redeemed among them seems to be a Warrior-Magic Caster hybrid, while the Half-Celestial is a Cleric just like Shalltear Bloodfallen, the Guardian Goddess of lust and darkness, is. Paladins are also technically half Magic Casters too, but the bulk of their strength are Skills and Martial Arts, so they are compared to Warriors more frequently than to Mages. Plus, the Spells they do use are more centered around blessings, removal of curses, and self-buffing like strength enhancing and flight, they don't rely on magic as much as Clerics or Mystic Warriors do.

There really was no need for Tatchi to develop magic so much, the same can be said about Promet, since they grew up and trained alongside Shura, who had enough magical potential for 3 or more people. Tatchi and Promet are also the reason why Shura never bothered to develop his physical capabilities nor achieved any Warrior Classes, not even hybrid Classes were needed for him with Tatchi covering melee fights and Promet being their support and Wildcard. Nobody in the New World could defeat that 3 man team in a fight, nobody. Of course, the Eight Floor hierarchy is still leagues above them, at least those 3 will never become arrogant with those overpowered monsters around. Tatchi won't at least.

The new Players are the perfect opponents that Tatchi needs to prove his real worth, Shura and Promet feel the same as him, and he's certain that Ankuru and Nishi feel the same too. Perhaps if the little girl in his arms was already a grown up that reached her Level Cap, she would share their sentiment most likely.

In any case, the only way to reach the Treasury is with the sacred [Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown] that Tatchi was gifted years ago by the God-King, so he took it out from the Item Box that he has despite not being an YGGDRASIL entity thanks to the [Planetouched] Job Class he was born with. As he was about to leave with the little girl however, a tiny Birdman came across them.

"Lady Maiko, Lord Tatchi, so nice to see you around."

"Eclair, nice to see you too."

"You taking the young mistress somewhere?"

"She has nobody to play with as of now, so I will take her to the Treasury so Promet Heus and I can keep her company."

"Oh, so tragic it is that such a young child has a family so busy that it can seldom spare time for her..."

"You have to dramatize everything?"

"Surely, such thing will no longer happen when I finally take over the throne of Nazarick for myself!"

"Little penguin funny! HaHaHa!"

"...goodbye Eclair, see you around."

And with that, Tatchi and little Maiko just teleported away.

**[Above the Troll Kingdom's capital] **

"So is everything ready? You made sure those 5 don't suspect anything?"

"[Of course Lord Ainz, the new Players are totally ignorant of this world, they know nobody and nobody knows them, the possibility of them discovering your scheme is so small that it virtually doesn't exists. Truly, only someone like you could've waved this magnificent plot.]"

"It wasn't me..."

Ainz told Demiurge that it was the Platinum Dragon Lord the one that suggested to use these new Players to cull the most dangerous True Dragon Lords, but Demiurge simply scoffed it as him "waiting for the Dragon to suggest it", like he has always done for 100 years, and will continue to do most likely. The more emotionally distant he feels from the NPC, the more he yearns for peers he can address as equals. Well, there's 1 NPC, 2 actually, that he feels safe to be himself with, plus other family ties, so he isn't exactly alone, but the idea of having casual and dumb talks with other Players like him, speaking of raids, Level and gear grinding, adventures with Guildmates, favorite event Boss, and former real-life stuff like how annoying some office bosses were, what other games they liked besides YGGDRASIL, and maybe even family stuff, all that really, really makes him wish the new Players become allies.

So, while he's perfectly aware of what he's doing, and the high possibility that the new guys will eventually learn that they were manipulated, he still hopes that everything turns out well in the end for everyone, somehow. Perhaps if he explains his intentions to them, they will understand. But that may depend of how their battle with the Dragon Lords turns out.

The pieces are in place, during the 3 days since the Players arrived at the border village, key people have been instructed and key places have been arranged in order to direct the Players into a confrontation with the pesky eyesore Dragons. Ainz himself chose who will fight against who, since they reached the conclusion that making them destroy the Dragons one by one may alarm the others, they belonged to the same Anti-Players Alliance after all, so they may still be in cahoots for all they know. Also, if the new Players are insufficient, then they will only have battle data of a single Dragon, so making them all fight simultaneously is also advantageous to Nazarick. All that remains is for Ainz to give the word, and the Players will walk straight to the Dragons' lairs.

"Then...begin."

"[As you command.]"

The [Message] cut off.

**[Near the Troll Kingdom capital] **

"You think they will give us answers if we just ask?"

"I don't know."

"Let's just say that our land never heard of that religion."

"Will they believe us? This Church is supposed to be world-spanning."

"As far as they know. They've told us that not everywhere is mapped yet, we just need to keep saying that we come from a far off land."

Right now the new Players were headed straight to Bhiak, the Troll Kingdom capital. All the sages and most intelligent people of the Kingdom, and even important and influential people from neighborhood nations occasionally convene there, if there are people who can give them the answers they seek, they will find them in the capital.

The 5 explored Khoul village for a few days, at first everything was almost as they expected. They saw no modern technology nor gadgets, motor vehicles seem nonexistent too. They were curious however about a weird-looking tower that was built in the center of the village. Days ago they took notice of such towers in most villages and cities they saw with the Crystal Castle's watchtower system, so they asked the local village chief, and his answer back then was beyond shocking.

"Oh that? Those are transmission towers for illusion magic. Some new thing that is supposed to revolutionize communications, I heard they called it 'television' or something. It's already being sold in large cities, and in a few months it will arrive to small villages like this too."

W-what!? Did they heard that right? Television!? In a world like this!?

"Oh...something wrong? Looks like you saw a ghost. You 4 at least."

It seems Trolls can't tell the facial expressions of giant bipedal beetles. Not like they can either.

"Sorry Mr. Chief, you said 'television'...? We never heard of that, could you tell us more?"

"That is one of the latest Magic Devices."

The village chief went on to tell them about Magic Devices, how different, complex, and useful they were compared with traditional Magic Items. By feigning ignorance and using the "foreign people from a distant country" excuse, they went on to learn a few things about this world they were in. The chief even invited them to his home to continue the conversation.

"All these advances in technology and quality of life are thanks to the world government run by the God-King and his servant Gods."

"God-King? Someone who both rules a nation and is worshipped?"

"Someone who rules the world, dear travelers. The whole world. Well, expect your homeland it seems. So far, at least."

The title "God-King" has had several meanings throughout history back on Earth. In mythology, the ruler or highest-ranked Deity in a polytheist hierarchy is usually called God-King. And sometimes Human governors like Pharaohs and Persian Kings were usually called God-Kings as well.

"Please forgive our imprudence Mr. Chief, but these Gods you speak of, are they real, physical entities? Can you see and hear them like you can see and hear me right now?"

Anchelo was, obviously, very skeptical about all this. The other 4 were as well. Throughout Earth's history, what most religious individuals called "Gods" were little more than sculpted statues or paintings in a wall. It may not be the same in this world, since magic exists, then maybe Gods aren't that outlandish. And considering that this world has the same Tier Magic as YGGDRASIL, then maybe the same Bosses that acted as Gods among the Nine Realms exist here as well, or similar entities to them. But they also know by now that comparing this world to the game has brought them no good, they should settle by now that outside of some Races, the spoken language, and magic, everything else should be alien to them.

"You aren't very religious, uh. I understand your skepticism, many religions exist outside of the Church of the God-King's abode, and there's no shortage of criticism towards other faiths among the followers of the God-King. 'Where are your Gods? Can you see and hear them like you can the God-King and his servants?' Things like that is what they say."

"Ah, so the God-King and his servants are physical beings, unlike the invisible and inaudible Gods of other religions?"

"Precisely so. I guess that's one of the reasons it's the most influential and powerful Church in this lands. The difference between Gods you can't see, and Gods you can see, should be beyond obvious."

"Another question, if you don't mind Mr. Chief. Seeing them is one thing, but are those beings still worthy of being worshipped? Do they posses the power that comes with the authority?"

The so-called God-Kings of Earth's history were mere Humans, just like their equally mortal subjects. Their countries hailed them as such simply because that was their lifestyle, laws, and tradition. In truth, there was nothing exceptional about the ancient Pharaohs nor Persian Kings, they were just as feeble and killable as the next regular person. Their supposed "godly" authority only extended as far as their lands went, to foreigners and other countries, a God-King was just another polical leader.

"You 5 really do come from a very far away land. It's okay, I'm glad you're making this questions here and now. So, where to start..."

The village chief remained silent, trying to remember something, then spoke in a gentle but firm tone, as if telling a story to little children.

"100 years ago, when his Holy Majesty and his abode descended on this then-Godforsaken world, he singlehandedly saved Carne City back when it was a humble village from an attacking group of evil Casters. These casters hurled Divine Magic and Summoned Angels towards the God-King, but his Arcane Magic emerged victorious."

It requires a huge Level difference for a single Arcane Mage to defeat a group of Divine Mages and Summoners. If this world's average Level really is between 30-40, then this God-King must be a Level 60 Magic Caster, or above that.

"Some time after that, when the ancestors of the Humans living in the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Baharut Empire waged war between themselves, was when at the behest of the one who is remembered among the Humans of this continent as the Bloody Emperor, Jircniv the Great, the God-King stepped in and ended such conflict with a single, devastating, and terrible Spell. With a black gust of wind, he took the lives of 70,000 Human soldiers from the Kingdom in an instant, and from those countless corpses emerged 5 creatures born of pure darkness that proceeded to devastate the remaining Human army. To this day, that is remembered as the most brutal punishment the God-King has ever inflicted on a disobedient nation that refuses to obey his command."

The first time they hear about Humans and their nations in this world, and in such a morbid way. Oof. But wait, there is a little part that caught their attention.

"Um...'black gust of wind'...?"

"Yes, does your homeland has a similar story?"

"I, uh, we don't think so. But, those dark creatures, does people remember how they looked?"

"How they looked. Well, some accounts say that they had the legs of goats, wiggling tentacles that reached upwards, and several jaws spread everywhere in their bodies. Truly, creatures of nightmares."

"Well, sorry. I don't think we have a story like that in our homeland, nor know what those creatures are."

Lies. The 5 know exactly what those creatures are; Dark Young. This God-King is definitely above Level 70 if he could use the Super-Tier Spell [Iä Shub-Niggurath]. More impressive is how he could summon 5 of them! Back in YGGDRASIL, the record was just 2 Dark Young, but they don't recall anyone using up to 70,000 sacrifices to summon Dark Young, so maybe only that amount could call 5 of them.

"This God-King is quite impressive."

Meitro left that phrase escape his lips. As the sole pure Magic Caster of the group, he feels a slight level of envy towards that Arcane Mage's accomplishment.

"Other tales like that exist, but now you should get an idea of the level of power the God-King and his servant Gods posses, since they are all roughly equal in power."

"Okay, thanks for your answers Mr. Chief. One last thing, what is the name of this Church?"

If this religious organization is as powerful and influential as the village chief claims, then they should make themselves sure to never get in their ugly side. Several Level +70 beings would be troublesome for them.

"The Church of Nazarick. Originally, it was called the Church of Ainz Ooal Gown when it was founded by the Saint Neia Baraja, but the God-King felt that his abode was more deserving of the Church's title."

...wha...di...the village chief...he said...!

"You all have that expression again. Is staring with a frozen face a cultural thing in your homeland? No offense if it is."

Nazarick!? Like the Great Tomb of Nazarick!? The Nazarick that pushed back the 1,500 strong invasion!? And Ainz Ooal Gown!? Like one of the Three Great Heteromorph Guilds Ainz Ooal Gown!? God-King and his servant Gods, is that another term for Guild Master and Guild Members? Did they arrived here to this world just like they did, but 100 years before them? How? Why?

"So...the Gods of this Church, how many are they? 41, by any chance?"

"I'm sorry, dear travelers, but I don't know that much. Besides the God-King and the servant Gods, the abode of Nazarick harbors many beings of unimaginable power, who for all intents and purposes could be Gods just like they are. The servant Deities I talk about just happen to be the most renown, and thus the ones with the greatest amount of worshipers, besides the God-King himself of course."

"Okay then. We truly apologize for all the questions, but could you do us the favor of naming the ones you do know about?"

"Heh, no need to apologize, as I said, is a good thing you're taking in this knowledge before setting to travel even further. The God-King may allow religious freedom, but the stigma against those belonging to alien faiths, and overall lack of faith in the Church of Nazarick, still reverberates in these lands. Even if you don't share religion, you would be wise to respect the local Priests, and never disrespect with neither your actions nor words the names of the beings I will name right now."

The 5 payed close attention, some had enhanced senses, but they still arched their bodies to move their ears closer to the village chief.

"The guardian of the first Floors of the sacred Tomb of Nazarick is Shalltear Bloodfallen, the Guardian Goddess of lust and darkness, patroness of the creatures of the night. Her cult consist mostly of nocturnal Races like Batmen, and sometimes female Undead pray to her as well. Among the living, women that are madly in love with men and wish to charm their hearts usually pray to her as well, asking the dark lady to give them the beauty and confidence they need to do so."

Shalltear Bloodfallen? Creatures of the night? That must be the Floor Guardian of the catacombs of Nazarick, the Vampire Cleric that protects the first 3 Floors.

"A Floor below her is Gargantua, the Guardian God of machines and soldiers, patron of sapient constructs as well as loyal and patriotic warriors that fight for their nation. His cult now includes modern Mechanical Alchemist that thrive for technological perfection, they usually pray to this invincible construct to enlighten them with his secrets, so they can always create machines worthy of the design conceived by his Holy Majesty."

Judging by the name, Gargantua must be enormous, must likely that giant strategic siege Golem that acts as Floor Guardian of the lake Floor of Nazarick, the one further down the catacombs.

"Further down is Cocytus, the Guardian God of combat and weaponry, patron of honorable fighters. Blacksmiths that put their everything to create the finests weapons also form part of his cult, but the greatest part of his worshipers are warriors and other combatants of noble heart that give their loyalty to an equally noble cause or lord."

If the trends continues, then this must be the Insect Swordsman that protects the frozen wasteland that is the Fifth Floor of Nazarick.

"Much lower are Aura Bella Fiora and Mare Bello Fioro, the twin Guardian Gods of beasts and wilderness, patrons of nature and those who make it their home. Rangers, Druids, Barbarians, anyone who appreciates what is the beauty of the forests forms part of their cult. Civilized areas that border places were trees, plants, rivers, and animals are abundant also have temples dedicated to their worship."

Those are definitely the twin Dark Elf team of Beast Tamer and Druid respectively.

"Below them is Demiurge, the Guardian God of intelligence and trickery, patron of those who dedicate their knowledge, wisdom, and wits to a respectable cause. Scribes, spies, assassins, rogues, as long as they are in the service of a leader that follows the teachings of the Church, they can be considered part of his cult. There's hearsay that con artists and thieves also pray to Demiurge, asking him for the ability to better fool and cheat others, but I'm certain the most loyal servant of the God-King will never grant them his favor."

The Demon that guarded the lava Floor, he wasn't that impressive according to the testimonies of the defeated raid members, but the lesser Monsters he commanded where far more pesky than him though.

"A Floor even further below resides Victim, Guardian God of martyrs and extremists, patron of self-sacrificing individuals. His cult isn't that big, people usually pray to him when they decide to lay down their life for a great cause they believe in, is what I've heard at least. What I do know is that those who are obsessed with a single objective, who work day in and day out, with little to no rest, just to carry it out usually pray to Victim, asking him to grant them the will to give their life if they need to."

That is the most talked about NPC when they discuss the failed raid against Nazarick, the floating Angel-like fetus that paralyzed virtually everyone the moment it was destroyed. Kinda crazy, that such NPC would be the one to defeat the raid. Grated, the other overpowered entities on the Eight Floor helped a lot, but most of the damage was done by this Victim.

"It's not explained exactly where does this next lesser God resides, but there's also Sebas Tian, the Guardian God of strength and loyalty, patron of guardians and servants. While most of his cult is composed of bulters, maids, squires, and even knights, family people like men who wish to protect their families at any cost also pray to Sebas Tian in order to have the necessary strength of body and mind to give their wives and children the secure lifestyle they wish. And there's also a related cult where his supposed 'True Form', a cross of Dragon and Humanoid, is worshipped by intelligent Dragonoids like Wyverns and Drakes. And sometimes true Dragons that swallow they pride and have humble personalities also pray to the 'True Form' of Sebas Tian."

Okay, now they have no idea who the hell is that. It seems the rumors were true, Nazarick has even more Floors below the Eighth one. What type of monstrosities could be guarding even deeper Levels of that broken dungeon? In any case, this Sebas Tian sounds like a Dragonoid of sorts, judging by his karmatic alignment, he could be either a Dragonborn (if good) or a Dragonspawn (if evil), both are the most powerful Dragon-like Races a Player or NPC could be.

"Guarding the treasures of the Gods is Pandora's Actor, the Guardian God of wealth and domestic protection, patron of keepers. His cult is filled with financially successful individuals like entrepreneurs and merchants, as well as vault guards and gatekeepers. They are however some nasty rumors that shameless thieves and swindlers, just like how they pray to Demiurge, also pray to Pandora's Actor to demand the God to shower them with money and riches. But just like the Lord of Intellect, I'm certain the Lord of Wealth would never give his blessings to scoundrels like them."

At this point they have no clue who these NPC are. A Ninth and Tenth Floor guarded by a Dragonoid and...and what? What is this Pandora's Actor? A Humanoid maybe, just like the Dark Elves? Despite being an Heteromorph Guild, and one of the Big Three no less, Ainz Ooal Gown didn't shy from creating Humanoids as Floor Guardians. They may be some steps below Heteromorphs combat and power-wise since they are unable to build Racial Classes, but Humanoids boost great versatility, so focusing only on Job Classes has its occasional advantage.

But wait, the village chief said Pandora's Actor protects the "treasures" of Nazarick, so maybe he doesn't guards a Floor, but rather the Guild's Treasury. Ainz Ooal Gown took enormous pride in the amount of World-class Items they stacked, more than any other Guild in the entirety of YGGDRASIL, so protecting their Treasury must be an exceptionally powerful NPC, maybe even more so than the Vampire Cleric of the first 3 Floors, there's no way a Humanoid would be placed in that position. Not only are they unable to build Racial Levels, but they are also unable to get access to special Job Classes that only Demi-Humans and Heteromorphs can achieve, like the special Vampire Job Class [Blood Drinker] that can be used to continuously replenish MP, something truly marvelous considering the lack of MP Potions in the game. Or the special Job Class [Asura] that allows the simultaneous use of several weapons of different types to increase damage beyond limits, only Races with multiple limbs can have that Class.

This Pandora's Actor, if he was focused on defense as a Tank build, then the wisest Race choice would be a Nephilim, use the Racial trait of taking 2 high ability scores in exchange for 3 low ability scores to min-max defense and stamina, as well as gear that enhances their innate regeneration. An attack Warrior build would benefit the most of an Insect with the aforementioned [Asura] Class that uses both DPS and Burst Damage weapons to maximize continuous and never ending damage. Also, the Half-Golem Racial line is so strong and sturdy that it can be used to build either, a Tank or attack Warrior, to incredible results too.

Whatever the Race, this Pandora's Actor must be something else if Ainz Ooal Gown left him to guard their World-class Items. Rumors always circulated around the other 2 Great Heteromorph Guilds, as well as the Top 3 Guilds of the entire game, about how they used a World-class Item known as the [Caloric Stone] to a create an entity so powerful that it surpassed even World Champions in strength. Maybe this Pandora's Actor is the being they made with such Item.

"And lastly, there's the overseer of the other servant Gods, Albedo, the Guardian Goddess of love and mo-"

In that moment they heard knocks in the door, and when the village chief opened it they saw a female(?) Troll outside.

"Excuse me, sorry to interrupt but there are some matters to attend, village chief."

"I have to go, but you folks are welcome to stay for a while. If you do wish to learn more about the Gods of the Church of Nazarick, then I have a some books in the shelf over there. The black cover books with gold embroidery, I'll see you later."

And with that, the 5 now were alone in the oversized house.

"Those names, none of the Guild Members of Ainz Ooal Gown is a 'servant' God it seems."

"Perhaps the Players are 'greater' Gods or something."

"Just how many Floors did that accursed Tomb have? To think a Guild composed of just 41 members would be so strong."

"Let's check the books. If we have the same language, maybe we have the same writing."

They flew to the giant shelf, took out one of the Troll-sized books and opened it, but to their kind of expected surprise they couldn't understand anything.

"What the...we should've seen this coming."

Same spoken language, but different alphabet. Of course. Why didn't they saw this beforehand, they really do suck at expecting the unexpected.

"Let me, [Skill - Knowledge of Oghma]"

Asmodel used his deciphering Skill, and readable spectral letters took shape over the alien letters. Now they could understand what was written in the book. They were drawn depictions too, with this maybe they can see what Race this Pandora's Actor is, so they were flipping the pages at a moderate speed.

"Mmm, most of this the village chief already told us...here, that's...Pandora's Actor?"

"What the, a Doppelgänger!?"

Doppelgängers are among the weakest and less combat-optimizable Races of YGGDRASIL. What they lacked in power they compensated in flexibility however, and depending on build, Doppelgängers could have more versatility than even Humanoids. But still, none of the 5 could understand why a Guild as powerful as Ainz Ooal Gown would have such NPC guarding their Treasury, maybe there's some sort of trap or gimmick aiding this Pandora's Actor? Whatever the reason, he is what he is. It's not like they have any intention of stealing from Nazarick, if 1,500 couldn't do it, what chances would they have?

"If it's not this Pandora's Actor, then what did Ainz Ooal Gown did with the [Caloric Stone]?"

"Well, with that letdown out of the way, let's see what we can learn of this Albedo."

They kept flipping pages until they found the chapter on the Guardian Overseer.

"It seems like a Demoness, or some variant. Hard to know since whoever made her heavily customized her to look as Human as possible."

Many Heteromorph Players enjoyed to customize their game Avatars and NPC with Humanoid appearance, despite the fact that they are weaker in Human form, and can only use their real strength when they unleash their true forms. Some fellow Heteromorph Players never understood why they did that, if you want to be a monster, why not look like a monster? Truth was however, that most of the time Heteromorphs were just ugly, so Players that wanted to be as strong as Heteromorphs are, but wanted to look good, went to all the trouble or making their monstrous self look Human despite the stats decrease, since they could always temporary return to their true level of power by becoming ugly again for a while. It's not like Players were fighting 24/7 after all.

"Wait, look who she's right next to!"

In another page they found a depiction of Albedo alongside a skeleton. This skeleton was wearing a pitch black robe and was holding a weird-looking staff with circular gems embedded in it. It was unmistakable, the Guild Master of Ainz Ooal Gown, Momonga. Below his drawn depiction was the title "God-King", they were right about that it seems, the Guild Master is the chief Deity of this religion centered around Ainz Ooal Gown, but the weird thing is that only Momonga and the NPCs of Nazarick were in the book, is Momonga the only Player that arrived before them?

"That individual depicted just below them, could he be a Player?"

In the lower half of the page depicting Albedo and Momonga there was a man. At first glance one may think that he's a skeletal being if you look at his face, but if you stare for a few seconds you will see that this man is no Undead. The "meaty" body filling his clothes clearly shows a being of flesh, not just bones, and his face looks more like a skull-shaped mask that is perpetually attached to his head. A body that looks like a cross of Skeleton and Human was a well known Race in YGGDRASIL, Half-Lich.

"That's no member of Ainz Ooal Gown, there were no Half-Liches in their ranks."

"Yeah, since they were a Guild so small yet so powerful, all 41 members were renown. And besides, I'm not even sure if that's a Half-Lich."

Half-Liches, just like every other Half-Race of the game like Half-Golems, Half-Dragons, Half-Insects, etc, were strictly Half-Humanoid. You couldn't be a Lich-Monster hybrid, Golem-Monster hybrid, or Dragon-Monster hybrid, and while there was a Racial Class known as [Mal'akh] which according to fluff and YGGDRASIL lore is an Angel-Demon hybrid, that Race was the only one of its kind. And yet, sprouting on the man's back there is a pair of pitch black raven wings with pointy talons. Above his head there is a smoky black halo, giving the impression that the man is an Angel that fell from grace. Clearly that wasn't a Lich-Human hybrid, it looked more like a Lich-Demon hybrid if they were to guess.

"He's no member of that Guild, so what's up with his panoply? That's definitely not an NPC."

They are certain the individual that the book depicts below Albedo and Momonga is not an NPC because those are always created alongside gear that complements their build. The man drawn in the book was wearing what in YGGDRASIL was known as a "clownsuit", mismatched Equipment that is worn just for the perks and stat boost. All 5 clearly recognized the gear the man was wearing, the members of Ainz Ooal Gown were THAT famous; a fancy suit sporting a velvet shoulder cape with a red rose attacked that belonged to Ulbert, the shiny black leather belts of Tabula enveloping his torso, on his head there was the circlet of Nubo, on his wrists the gauntlets of Whitebrim, on his waist the belt of Shijuuten Suzaku, hanging from said belt was the black cape of Temperance (which looked kinda similar to Asmodel's own half cape), and on each hand he was holding the battle staves of Bellriver. Overall, the man was covered from head to toe with the Equipment of all the Magic Casters of Ainz Ooal Gown, bar Momonga's.

"If that guy was a Player from YGGDRASIL like us, he wouldn't be using gear from other Players."

"A native of this world, most likely."

"Look at the title below him."

Just like how "God-King" was written below Momonga, there was a title below that man which gave them a vague idea of who and what he was, such notion was ridiculous if they stopped to think about it, but they still couldn't deny what was written there.

Below that man it was written "God-Prince"...

**You may be wondering, what are Albedo and Ainz the patrons of? What are their specific cults composed of? Are Aurole Omega, Rubedo, and other powerful entities of Nazarick considered lesser Gods just like the Floor Guardians and Pandora's Actor are? Worry not, such information will be eventually revealed in the future.**

**Noth****ing else to say, so see you next time. **


	9. Chapter 9: The Moving Pieces

**Oof, took me a while to complete this Chapter, but I did it. Here's hoping Chapter 10 doesn't takes me long to write. HaHa**

Chapter 9: The Moving Pieces

The 5 finally reached their destination, it took nearly a week but they're finally there. Normally it would take much longer to travel from a border village to the capital which is literally the heart of the Kingdom, but the 5 are virtual Gods in this world, the reason they didn't simply teleport is because they didn't knew exactly where to. The way they entered the city was kinda similar to how they entered the village, but as expected, security is tighter in a metropolis like this. With more Demi-Humans coming in and out, the amount of Troll guards is much bigger too, and the fact that neither of them was a Demi-Human brought unnecessary attention towards them, but they successfully entered the city still.

Bhiak was much grander than the humble village that accepted them days ago, but they expected such, since this was the capital of a whole country. Bigger buildings, broader roads, a dense population of Trolls as well as other Demi-Humans too, and they could also see several of those illusion magic towers spread throughout the city. Maybe the people here already enjoys the "television" that is relatively new to this world, according to what they heard at least. They would normally stay and enjoy the city, they have tons of Troll money to spare after all, but for the first time since arriving to this world they now have a specific and serious goal, find out the most they can about the influence of Ainz Ooal Gown in this world.

They left their vehicle in the first inn they found and set off to explore, maybe they can find a library or something that gives them the information they seek, the 5 are really determined. Some may think that it doesn't matters much, Momonga and his NPC rule this world, so what? Surely someone that didn't knew much of YGGDRASIL, like casual Players, may think that. But the 5 of them were hardcore Players that logged in virtually every day, they know a lot about Ainz Ooal Gown, especially the former members of Seraphim and the sole member of UnderKings among them. It wasn't a Demon-only Guild or anything of the sort, but Ainz Ooal Gown was still more infamous than famous, most of their members were evil Role-Players, their World Disaster for instance was a nice piece of work, playing the part of malevolent Demon so well that it bordered in obsession. Those like their World Champion and Nephilim Healer that played the part of benevolent folk were the extreme minority in that Guild, so it really wasn't the "balanced bridge" of the Three Great Heteromorph Guilds that some said they were, they had more in common with UnderKings than with Seraphim. The sole apparent Guildmember that arrived to this world belonged to the majority, an evil Undead Necromancer that PKed members of other Guilds, but even though Momonga was really skilled on his own right, his build was hardly impressive.

Truth was, it's very likely that each of them could defeat Momonga in a solo PvP match. Necromancers rely on Instant Death, something that becomes hardly an issue in high-level meta, so they could brush off most of what Momonga throws at them. Unless he somehow unlocked a special Job Class that gives him a powerful Skill that bypasses all types of Instant Death resistance, that is. But what are the odds of that? If building a character that only specializes in Instant Death bestows a Job Class possessing a Skill that allows you to bypass all immunities to ascertain a one-shot kill, then many Players would do that. But alas, Players like Momonga were very rare, so it's unlikely a Job Class like that existed in YGGDRASIL, the 5 are certain.

The issue then would be their NPC. Those are fairly capable, sure, but the 5 new Players are still nothing to scoff at. The best fighter among them is Anchelo, and the strongest among them is Ragnar, as long as they stick together, there's almost nothing they can't overcome. If they are to be ranked based on PvP performance, then the list would go like this:

At the top is the [Solar] Anchelo. Stats-wise, he's No. 2 after Ragnar, but stats aren't everything, and Anchelo is just way too skilled, Ragnar has never been able to defeat Anchelo in PvP even once. He's excellent in both close-range and long-range combat, and his carefully crafted Equipment diminishes his Racial penalties and weaknesses to a point that they virtually don't exist. In the entirety of Seraphim, the strongest of the Three Great Heteromorph Guilds, Anchelo ranked as the second most powerful member, surpassed only by the World Champion of Asgard, the [Sovereign] Imogen.

Below him is the [Insect Emperor] Ragnar, since even with his monstrous stats he could never close the gap between him and the Half-Celestial Cleric, and his only real weakness is long-range combat. He is however extremely skilled on his own, and the difference between himself and the ones below him in this list is notorious since he created both his build and his gear with only one word in mind: power. He was very high-ranked in his Guild, World Searcher.

No. 3 is their leader, the [Yaksha] Asmodel. Like Anchelo, he's a hybrid archetype so he has the strengths of both Mages and Warriors yet none of their weaknesses. He's very good at both close-range and long-range combat as well, but with a build that emphasizes magic more than Skills, he prefers long-range combat if he has the choice. Because of the specific build he made, more specifically his Racial Classes as well as the Job Classes that he obtained because of them, he excels the most against evil-aligned opponents, more effective against them than even Anchelo, but is obviously partially crippled against good-aligned enemies. Back in Seraphim, Asmodel was the to-go pick when they carried out raids against evil Bosses and enemy Guilds harboring Players with Negative Karma, among them being their most notorious and bitter rival, UnderKings.

A step below is the [Human] Teinu. He may be an extremely skilled Player that took Job Classes that augment his offensive power, but when compared with his comrades he still falls short since Humanoids are unable to build Racial Classes, and thus, even at Level 100 their stats leave much to be desired. It's true that they have more Skills overall, but the power of Skills comes from stats, so Humans like him basically sacrifice quality for quantity. Like Asmodel, he's also effective against evil beings since he took Classes like [Evil Slayer], but also like him, he's not as effective against good beings. And he also shares Ragnar's weakness towards long-range fights, Warrior without magic and all that. It's hard to say how high he ranked back in 2chan Alliance, since that Guild always had a large and fluctuating number of members, but most of the ones that knew him would agree that Teinu was still one of their best.

And at the bottom lies the [Evil Lord] Meitro. It's true that he's a Level 100 Heteromorph, but the build he made doesn't makes him any good in PvP, since Summoners are basically supports. Also, he's the sole evil member of the group, so a Cleric like Anchelo, as well as Asmodel and Teinu that are effective against evil beings have tremendous advantage against him. Ragnar isn't that effective against evil beings specifically, but there's still no way that a Summoner with poor combat ability would defeat a Barbarian that has extremely good combat ability. It's true that he's superior to Humanoid and Demi-Human Summoners, but compared to the 4 that arrived to this world with him, Meitro just falls too short. In UnderKings Meitro still commanded respect, since he's a very skilled Player and competent Wildcard, and also because he was one of the founding members of that Great Heteromorph Guild.

Most of them have the advantage against evil beings, and it was also public knowledge that Ainz Ooal Gown was a mostly evil Guild, so their NPC having Negative Karma is a safe bet, they felt. Of course, none of them have any intention to actually invade Nazarick, but they are confident in their ability to defend themselves should Momonga order his NPC to destroy them. An outsider may wonder, why are they so wary of Ainz Ooal Gown? Was their relationship so ugly back in the game? Asmodel, Anchelo and Meitro would say YES, the relationship between the Great Guilds harboring only Heteromorphs was never a good nor cordial one, the only reason Players lumped them together was because, of all the Heteromorph-only Guilds of the game, those 3 were the most powerful and noteworthy. Seraphim, Ainz Ooal Gown, and UnderKings were almost always at each other's throats. Seraphim in particular was filled with heroic Role-Players, so they always attempted to be polite whenever they interacted with others, and Ainz Ooal Gown was civil most of the time as well, but UnderKings was always impossible to work with. Those Guilds just never got along.

The other Great Guilds were mostly neutral towards Ainz Ooal Gown. Trinity minded its own business, World Searcher kept to themselves, and 2chan Alliance seldom bothered with petty grudges. Teinu and Ragnar aren't as wary of Ainz Ooal Gown as the others are, but they are friends after all, if someone threatens a single one of them, the others will act in his defense without thinking it twice. But they're still aware that it wouldn't enough, this Ainz Ooal Gown was the one that repelled a 1,500 strong invasion, if everything in that accursed Tomb is thrown at them, then they can kiss this world goodbye.

"Is it possible that Momonga changed during 100 years?"

"Was he always evil in the first place? YGGDRASIL was just a game, just because you pretend to be evil in a game doesn't means you really are evil."

"Then, those who Role-Played as heroes like Zauriel, Imogen, and Mekiel weren't really good people in real life?"

Asmodel was talking about noteworthy members of Seraphim; Zauriel the Invoker, Imogen the aforementioned World Champion, and Mekiel the Sage, who was also the Guild Master of Seraphim. Virtually everyone was a "righteous hero" in that angelic Guild, but those 3 were the most virtuous of them all.

"I'm not saying they weren't. I'm just saying that, in a game like YGGDRASIL where people can hide behind an username and a virtual face, they can either pretend to be something they're not, or act as they truly are inside."

Anchelo keeps proving why he's the brains of the group, his reasoning is truly flawless. Momonga could either be a truly evil person, or a good person that just pretended to be evil. In any case, they never met him personally so they can only guess.

"An evil person wouldn't create a world like this, though."

"According to the books people have right now at least. 100 years is plenty of time to make-up history."

"Long-term brainwashing?"

"What to win if he does that? If there's such power disparity between this world and the Tomb of Nazarick, then why not rule it by force with an iron fist?"

"If only we could just walk up to him and ask."

"Walk up to the God of this world. Right. If we can bypass their NPC then it would be alright, no?"

"Knowing nothing really sucks..."

"Now now. That's why we're here, there must be somewhere or someone we can ask."

"How about there?"

Ragnar was pointing at a very large building, the windows had beautiful glass art of a black-robed Skeleton holding a golden staff, obviously a church. At the top of the building where the cross should be, there was instead the symbol of Ainz Ooal Gown. They didn't noticed such details on their structures back when they were scouting, perhaps the bewilderment of seeing only Demi-Humans and no Humans around was too distracting, or maybe they're just idiots. In any case, the village chief mentioned Priests, and they read in his books that the Church of Ainz Ooal Gown trains people in both Divine Magic and academical knowledge. Surely they would be more educated about the world at large than the people living in a rural place like a village.

"Wait. Meitro."

"Yes? What is it."

"It's very likely that there are mid-level Divine Magic users in that church."

"Oh, those may be capable of detecting evil entities."

"Precisely."

Meitro sneakily took out a ring from his inventory, the [Ring of Protection From Good]. Some Divine Magic Classes allow the user to detect entities with Negative Karma, and Meitro, being an evil Demon, is naturally the prey of Divine Magic and good-aligned enemies, so he took out a ring that hides his presence from such detection and gives him some protection from Divine Magic too.

With their sole evil-aligned member now hidden from Divine eyes just like the 5 invisible maids that silently follow them, they could enter the building with confidence.

Naturally, the church was HUGE. Back on Earth the cathedrals were already very spacious, but this one was built for Trolls and equally big Races, they could summon their physically largest Monsters and they would still have plenty of room to fly around. Their enhanced senses spotted a single Troll near a shrine that was built in the heart of the spacious room, near the place where the sermons are given. The shrine, too, had a depiction of Momonga, the Troll was praying to it apparently, judging from his robe he must definitely be a Priest.

"Welcome to the House of God, dear travelers."

The Troll Priest stopped his prayer to address the 5, it seems he too has enhanced senses. Good thing Meitro's Karma is hidden, he even put some fabric gloves to hide the ring too.

"Thanks for the welcome. As you might've guessed, we aren't from around."

"His Holy Majesty encourages acceptance, so the children of the Church must do so as well."

"And the enlightenment of ignorants about these lands, is that encouraged too?"

"You will have to forgive us Priest, this Church and its teachings are unknown to us, just like this country and those that surround it."

"Of course, knowledge belongs to everyone. If there's anything you want to ask me about the benevolent rulers of this world, please do."

Benevolent, uh? Either Momonga did a good job brainwashing the entire world, or he's genuinely a good person. In any case, the 5 asked many things to the Priest, they even learned things that weren't written in the books they read. They spent a good amount of time listening to the Priest, hours seemed like minutes to them.

"If you do wish to see them with your own eyes in order to confirm that our faith isn't blind, the Great Tomb of Nazarick resides Southeast from here, near the border of this continent. Gazing upon the abode of the Gods is a great tourist attraction for this continent, is still inaccessible to mere mortals like us, but it's a physical testament of the existence of the Gods. If you're lucky, you may even get the glimpse of a divine being exiting its abode to go accomplish some holy task."

"Is it that far? The border of this continent, we mean."

"Just a few weeks' travel by land vehicle. But if you have the affluence, you can use the service of a Magic Device that teleports you nearby."

"Mmm, should we...?"

The 5 discussed among themselves for a bit, should they really just go there, where the Guild Base of one of the most hostile Guilds in YGGDRASIL resides? They weren't as violent as UnderKings, true, but Ainz Ooal Gown was still infamous for their own reasons.

"What is it for us if we go?"

"Yeah, it's not like we were buddies with Momo-...uh, with people living there, we know nobody in those lands..."

They're in the presence of a native of this world, they must be careful to not reveal their nature as Players, nor the fact that they are familiar with Ainz Ooal Gown, maybe more so than this whole planet.

"I would rather we visit the Human nations, I'm more curious about them."

"Yes, me too. How different are they from our own home wor- land, homeland..."

The Priest then stepped in their conversation.

"If you do wish to visit the Human-centered lands of these continent, then those are some of the nations that surround the Sacred Tomb. The Slane Democracy, the Re-Estize Kingdom, the Baharuth Empire, the Dragon Kingdom, the Roble Holy Kingdom, and the City-States of Karnassus."

"Oh, is that so...?"

Seems that getting near the remnants of Ainz Ooal Gown is unavoidable after all. The 5 took the opportunity to ask the Priest more about such nations, and they even learned of the non-Human nations nearby too. The Emerald Kingdom composed mainly of Lizardmen and Toadmen, which has the Shasha family as royalty. That nation is relatively young, not even a century old yet, but is the worldwide lead on fish production. The underground Dwarf Council State that is the worldwide hub of Runecraft production, what the hell is Runecraft? They can ask when they go there. The Elf Country of the Great Forest of Evasha, time ago such nation was victim of tyrannical rulership, but after the demise of their previous brutal King the country is now ruled by a Regent Council just like the Dwarf nation. And finally the Argland Republic ruled by the 5 Dragon Councilors, is called a republic because the Demi-Human representatives just below the Dragon Councilors are chosen by the people through majority vote, that way the voice of every Race is heard.

That last nation raised a few alarms. Low and mid-level Dragons were hardly an issue, but high-level Dragons were among the strongest Monsters in YGGDRASIL, only high-level Angels and Demons were on par. If those Dragon Councilors are like those Bosses in YGGDRASIL then Momonga and his Guild Base aren't the only thing they have to look out for.

"Those Dragons, what do you know of them?"

"The Platinum Dragon Lord, the Blue Sky Dragon Lord, the Wyrm Dragon Lord, the Obsidian Dragon Lord, and the Diamond Dragon Lord. They've held a permanent seat as the rulers of the Demi-Human nation since its founding, and each is very strong on their own. The Platinum Dragon Lord in particular is argued to be the absolute strongest Dragon in this world."

"Argued? So they aren't sure."

"There are some other Dragon Lords like the Platinum Councilor, but if they are truly stronger than him is unknown, since such beasts are the enemies of this world and its inhabitants, no measure of their power has ever been made."

"Evil Dragons, uh."

The Priest went on to tell them what he knew (what Ainz allowed the public to know, at least) about the remaining True Dragon Lords, what makes them different from current Dragons and also what differentiates them from the modern Dragon Lords, sometimes called "False" Dragon Lords. The 5 learned of a mysterious art know as Wild Magic, the power that dominated this world before the introduction of Tier Magic. It seems the Priest didn't knew much about the how, when, and why Tier Magic was introduced, but one thing was certain, Tier Magic isn't native of this world, it was introduced by someone or something. Perhaps Momonga did it? The more they learn, the more they realize they really know nothing.

"Those devil lizards have been a bane in his Holy Majesty's world, they mass murder just for the pleasure of it, destroy entire cities filled with innocents, testimonies of survivors speak of their sadistic nature, how they kill and torture just for fun. The reason they haven't been culled yet is because the God-King fears the destruction and lost of life that such battles will bring to this entire world."

What? Momonga fears those Dragons!? He can't just order the NPC of his overpowered Tomb to destroy them? There's only one thing that would make a Great Heteromorph Guild shake in their boots, World-class Enemies. Asmodel told them of the possibility that such Super Bosses may exist here, perhaps he was right?

"These Dragon Lords, are they really on par with the Gods you worship?"

"Saying that there are beings that surpass the Gods is blasphemy. His Holy Majesty doesn't fears those beasts, he fears what the crossfire may destroy in the wake of such conflict. Measures have been taken to minimize their movements, but those evil Dragons are still on the loose."

This Momonga really knows how to act as the kindhearted ruler, at least. The 5 wanted to discuss this new information in private, so they excused themselves in order to return to the inn they're staying.

"Thanks for your time Priest, but is getting late."

"This establishment offers refuge to foreign travelers, you can stay if you wish, this church hasn't welcomed visitors in a long time, you would hardly be a burden."

"No need. Thanks a lot, really, but you already did so much for us, and we already have a place to stay the night."

"That so."

They politely refused since not only they have a literal Demon among them, but also Fey'ri maids that are still hiding very near. High-level Rogues aren't the only ones capable of seeing through disguises, high-level Priests and Paladins are capable of spotting Fiends no matter where nor how they hide, how do they know if there aren't such individuals in this church right now? Or if they will arrive later while they're staying? Better not risk it, Momonga may not be the only Player around after all.

"If you really can't stay, then it can't be helped, the Gods don't encourage oppression after all."

Don't force others to do things they don't wanna do, uh. This Momonga, perhaps he truly isn't an evil person as Anchelo suggested.

The 5 thanked him again and quietly left the church, the Troll was alone now. His shadow flickered, and from it emanated an emaciated pitch-black humanoid figure with leather wings on its back and sharp claws, the only part of its body that wasn't composed of darkness were its yellow eyes. This was a low-level Mercenary Monster, Shadow Demon. Such Monster is still low-level, but none of the Players seemed like Rogues judging from their gear, and they were right it seems, so the Shadow Demon could still hide from their senses.

"I'm truly sorry, o dark messenger, I couldn't convince them of staying here."

The lesser residents of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, basically those who aren't a Supreme Being, Floor Guardian, or Area Guardian, are worshipped as Holy Messengers of the Lord of Death, Dark Angels so to speak. The Death Knights for instance are called Dark Guardian Angels by the followers of the Church.

The Shadow Demon addressed the repented Priest.

"Do not fret, Lord Demiurge calculated every possibility, if not here, then somewhere else. The will of the Supreme Being shall be done."

Their plan to direct the Players into a confrontation with the Anti-Player Dragon Lords sounded basic and simple at first glance, teleport the 5 Players all the way to the Dragon Lords' lairs using magic. However, only an ignorant would call such plan "simplistic". There was no teleportation Spell in YGGDRASIL that teleported a group to a different location against their will, such thing was a Dungeon function. So they had to use new teleportation magic crafted by Magic Casters of this world, but teleportation magic native to the New World is fickle, not to mention how difficult it is to find Mages that even reach a high enough Level to even create new teleportation Spells. The fact that the Players not only have to be transported against their will through tremendous distances, but also that each of them has to be taken to a specific location (since the God-King personally assigned the opponents, and those Dragons are still miles away from each other despite the fact that they belong to the same group) makes such task even more complicated. Luckily for them, Ainz Ooal Gown rules all of the known world, since the conception of the plan, all the capable individuals were put to work, most notorious among them were the members of Corpus of the Abyss, a group of Undead Liches that has a decent number of Heteromorphs that can use Spells from the 8th Tier, and some from the 9th Tier even. Those Liches willingly surrendered to the God-King, no intelligent Undead of this world would refuse to kneel.

In a some days they succeeded in creating such Spell, all that was left was to mark the "gates", they used every resource they had to discretely place teleportation circles near the Dragons' lairs. Far enough to make sure they weren't spotted, since Wild Magic allows those Dragons to easily see through any concealing Tier Magic Spell, but close enough for the Dragons to take notice of the Players when they arrive. Not everyone knew this, but the remaining True Dragon Lords harbor a deep and intense hatred for Players, such beings aren't something those overgrown lizards can ignore, Ainz himself knows this firsthand.

More complicated however is to somehow make the new Players step in a circle that will take them to such destination in the first place. Such new magic was purposely made to mimic Dungeons, so the teleportation circles are stationary on the ground. They can't just instantaneously make a circle appear right in front of their path either, since it takes considerable time to make one, seeing how complex its mechanism is. Making such circles took longer than crafting the new magic. And yet another thing to account for is the fact that the new Players are, well, Players, you can't make them step in such circles by force, you have to fool them to make them step into one, something that is twice as difficult when they are wary about the people of this world and with their guards up. That's why such circles were made and hidden in places the new Players are more likely to step in, and commanded the residents of such places to lure the Players in, told them to look out for "4 Humans and an Insect". The church's visitor room was such place, but they avoided it. The most luxurious inn in the capital was another place like that, but the 5 Players just took residence in the first common inn they found, so they have avoided them twice already.

"Forgive my ignorance, o messenger, but couldn't we just ask the new visitors to simply slay those foul beasts? I sensed no evil from them, perhaps we could bank on their possible desire to help the weak? Surely that would be more efficient than tricking them into a conflict they didn't asked for."

"Your ignorance is forgiven, child. Surely if they are selfless beings they would do so without hesitation, but can we be sure about such thing? The Gods aren't omniscient, they cannot read nor influence the hearts of beings that rival them in power, if a single one or all of them lack the compassionate nature of the God-King, then such trial would not be needed."

What the Shadow Demon meant by "reading and influencing hearts" is mind magic, more specifically, mind reading and mind control. After a century of experiments, Ainz found out that entering the minds of lower Level beings is easier than the minds of higher Level beings, resisting mind magic makes it more difficult too. Mind controlling them is out of the table. Hence, they told the natives involved in this scheme that all this convo is a "trial" designed by the God-King in order to ascertain the moral alignment of the new Players. That's why the Priest told them everything he was allowed to say about the Dragons of the Anti-Player Alliance to the 5, he painted them as monstrous as he could, purposely avoided their numbers, titles, and the fact that they are in cahoots too. If they are interested about it then they will ask about and research the True Dragon Lords, if they truly wish to help the people of this world then they will research about their abilities and current locations to hunt them. Or, maybe they could just look for ways to request an audience with the God-King and offer their help.

If they don't really care much about the innocents of this world, then those apathetic Players will be forced to fight against those Dragon Lords. If they can't win, then they will at the very least offer information that the God-King can use, and the world will be released from 5 potential enemies too.

"I will continue to keep guard of the gate here, is that acceptable to you?"

"But of course, I am but a mere mortal o dark messenger. Serving the Supreme Being is the most exalted of honors."

With that, the Shadow Demon returned to the darkness.

**[Back at the inn] **

"This city must have a library right? Such metropolis without a library makes no sense."

"Maybe we can learn more if we ask someone else? A scholar, a sage, someone."

"Do we even want to put our noses in that? That is Momonga's problem, if he truly cares about this world that is."

"You heard the Priest right? Those Dragons commit genocide just for the fun of it, treating people like mere objects of amusement, no better than the high caste of our world."

"Let's say we want to help, how can we? The Priest also mentioned about how a battle between Nazarick and those Dragons may cause too much destruction, meaning that it wouldn't be an easy victory for them, and such Tomb is leagues above the 5 of us."

"If Momonga is truly good and cares about the people, he would've taken care of them a long time ago, he has been here a century already."

"We should also keep in mind that we are getting this information from other people's perspective. How much of what they say is genuine, and how much is hearsay?"

"True, stories do tend to get exaggerated when they travel from mouth to mouth."

"Man, being an ignorant sucks. Sucks so much."

After placing anti-surveillance countermeasures on their rented room, the 5 threw themselves into discussion. Momonga and his NPC, these Dragon Lords, Wild Magic, Runecraft, so many things that they know nothing about.

"Can't they ask their 'Demi-Gods' to help them kill those evil Dragons? Surely they are very strong no?"

"We don't know that. Besides the God-Princes and Goddess-Princesses, all the others have children with New World natives, I personally doubt they are that stronger than the natives."

Back when they were reading the book of the village chief, they found out that there are like 10 of those "Demi-Gods" roaming this world. The God-Prince and his younger siblings were conceived by a Player and an NPC, both YGGDRASIL beings, so the world considers them "pure" Gods. They speculate that those 4 most likely have a very high Level Cap, whereas the hybrids of NPC and natives of this world must have a lower potential. But that's just speculation at this point, the amount of things that they don't know just keeps stockpiling nonstop.

The night flew by and the dawn of the next morning brought a new day, yet the 5 just kept discussing, they didn't even noticed the shifting maids. They really have no idea what to do, life was much simpler back when they were ignorant about a bunch of murderous Dragons that they could potentially do something about. Put themselves in danger to save people they don't know, or just ignore those monsters and live idly while innocents are killed? Most of them played the role of heroic heroes back in the game, but this is no game. If they really die, then that's it.

"What if those Dragons are just super weak by our standards, and Momonga does nothing about them because they aren't worth the effort?"

"If, if that's the case, then maybe they would just be on par with mere mobs?"

"Would mere mobs be that dangerous here?"

"The natives don't seem that strong."

Mobs in YGGDRASIL could be as high-leveled as Level 90. The 5 didn't knew this yet, but a mere Level 80 entity is considered a planet-wide catastrophe in the New World. They don't know yet that most beings of this world can only dream of reaching Level 30, that many are lucky to even reach Level 20, or that a single Level 50 being can destroy countries by itself.

"If those evil Dragons aren't that big of a deal, then maybe they can be the opponents we need to test our abilities in this world."

"We would see how strong we are compared to everyone, and we would get rid of a pest too."

"If they're too much, we can always teleport out of there."

"Okay then, it's decided? First we will learn more about these Dragons, and we will decide what to do after that?"

The other 4 nodded to that suggestion. Truth was, after all the heated discussion calmed down and they started to consider the possibility of fighting a Dragon, they got a little excited inside. Fighting evil Dragons and saving the world is a stample of those old Anime that were popular decades ago in their previous world. They shouldn't keep comparing their current situation with that but they can't help it.

It was then when they noticed it was morning already, so they took of with their hidden maids behind them to look for any info source they could find in the capital. Luckily for them the Demi-Humans seemed polite and told them of the great library of the capital and where it was located, their first step into what may be their first great adventure in this world. The Human nations can wait.

**[Above the capital] **

"Look old man, they are going towards the great library, at last they will step right where we want them too."

"..."

"Good thing uncle Demiurge predicted the possibility that they may look for information, so there is a 'gate' in the library too. All that's left is for the librarians to direct the Players towards it and the show can begin."

"..."

"Old man? You're awfully quiet."

"Don't tell me you're having second thoughts. We agreed they will be used to eliminate my evil brethren."

"Yes, yes. I know. Um, can you wait for me here? There's something I want to do."

"Okay...?"

Ainz casted [Perfect Unknowable] on himself and teleported down below, inside the library that the Players will soon step in. He sneakily went to the place where the head librarian was in order to give him a special message.

**[Inside the library, minutes later] **

Geon was a bit anxious, days ago he heard that the God-King commanded the creation of some sort of "magic circle" inside the library's facilities, also ordered everyone to avoid it once it was complete since it teleports whoever steps inside into a faraway and dangerous place. Why do such thing in the first place? He was a high-ranked librarian so he was allowed to know; the new "Pureiers" (Players) are on their way to the capital, and it's very likely that they will look for information about this world so the library could be a potential place where they will step inside. The reason was to test their abilities against some of the remaining True Dragon Lords of this world, so such circles are meant to take them where the Dragons hide. He didn't knew when they will arrive to this library, or if they will arrive at all.

But today is that day, people in the know informed them that the local High Priest had a lengthy conversation with the new visitors the previous day, and today they are walking towards the library, everyone begun to take their positions, they had to trick them into stepping into the hidden magic circle no matter what, their success means the end of those pesky Dragon Lords that have haunted their world for so long.

However, there was a recent change of plans.

They were ordered to let the visitors be, instead the 5 are to be lead throughout the library by someone else. This someone was actually a special type of Undead disguised as a living being that his Holy Majesty sent, why? They had no idea, but they have no intention of questioning the God-King.

The disguised Undead was standing right next to Geon. He was a Troll while the disguised Undead was Human-sized, so Geon was physically bigger and more imposing in comparison, but it was a well-known fact that even the weakest Undead created by his Holy Majesty are much stronger most mortal beings in this world, so he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous in the presence of one of those Dark Warrior Angels.

A bit later a member of the personnel soon informed them of the arrival.

"Here they come! They just walked through the door and are asking about sources on Dragons."

"That is my sign, I will take it from here."

"Yes, of course. Do as you must."

So secret was this new plot that they weren't even told the Undead's specific Race nor name, he's going under the alias "Daifuku". Who came up with such ridiculous name? Surely not the God-King. Goen saw the Undead walk towards the "Pureiers" (Players) and prayed that his disguise was good enough to fool those entities. Of course, his disguise was indeed very good, they wouldn't know that he's an Undead if they weren't told so, but those 5 are on par with the Gods, can they be fooled by disguises?

"Welcome, you 5 aren't from here, are you? My name is Daifuku, I heard you are looking for text on Dragons, yes?"

"Wha...? You're Human!"

"So are you. Well, most of you."

This Daifuku was elegantly dressed, had combed white hair as well as pale blue eyes. His left eye had a monocle in it, and on his shoulders there was a small red cape that only reached to his waist. He gave the impression of being a noble of sorts.

They could barely believe it, a Human, here! The 5 remained mute for a while, seems they are processing what's going on.

Goen and the nearby personnel were staring perplexed, they really did buy it...

**[Back on the floating Guild Base]**

"What the hell...is he doing?"

"Eh, the old man does stuff like this sometimes. Disguising himself as a random person or Undead with a ridiculous name to walk among the common folk. He sometimes drags me with him, says it helps me to 'relate' with the mortals. Why in front of the Players though?"

Shura knew that presenting himself in front of the Players, even disguised, is a huge risk. Nobody among them seems like a Rogue but surely the Magic Casters may be able to see through magical disguises no? The old man wasn't using a common magic disguise though, it's also unlikely that the new Players have Skills that see through stuff like that. In any case he is being too reckless, uncharacteristically so.

_'You couldn't hold the desire to meet them, could you?'_

Shura couldn't blame him. Neither him, nor his mother, nor his sisters, nor his brother, nobody in this world can truly relate to his old man, except maybe those 5 new guys. It seems that he actually wants to help them after all. Will he tell them his plan? Talk them out of it? Encourage them to fight those Dragons? Reveal himself to them?

Whatever he ends up doing, Shura still trusts the old man. He knows that things always end up well for them whenever the God-King is involved. Is he such an hyper intelligent being, or just lucky? Shura doesn't knows, nor cares. He just looks forwards to the carnage, if those Dragons are slaughtered by these Players, or if the Dragons are so strong that the Nazarick forces have to step in to assure their victory, Shura will enjoy the spectacle either way.

If the Players do defeat the Dragon Lords by themselves, then they are beings that rival him for sure, he who is the God-Prince of this world, the strongest Magic Caster. He couldn't wish for better opponents to duel.

That big is his lust for combat, and his desire to prove to the God-King, the Guardian Gods, and the entirety of the Sacred Tomb that he is more than just the "young master".

_'I am much more than just the kid of a Supreme Being, just watch me...'_

**You may be wondering what the hell is [Solar], [Yaksha], and other Races I wrote while describing the Player's rankings. As some might have guessed, those are their respective final Racial Classes. What Races came before, as well as the Job Classes that they synergized with, will be eventually revealed in a future Chapter that is very close of being published.**

**But you may also be wondering about Imogen, the World Champion of Asgard and strongest member of Seraphim, the [Sovereign]. Well, he didn't arrive to the New World, so I had no reason to build a whole Level Sheet for him, but I guess I can still let you know how is the pure Angel advancement in my fanfic setting, so the Racial Classes of Imogen are the following:**

**15 - Angel**

**10 - Archangel**

**10 - Celestial Prince**

**05 - Empyrean Lord**

**05 - Sovereign**

**His Job Classes will be left to your imagination, but one of them is definitely [World Champion], obviously. It can be almost anything since pure Angel Racials, just like Half-Celestial, Demon, Half-Fiend, and Nephilim Racials, can synergize with most archetypes. What Imogen was not, however, is a pure Magic Caster. Also, he wasn't only the strongest member of Seraphim, but also the absolute strongest among the 9 World Champions as well, meaning that he was also stronger than Touch Me, who was No. 3 in that ranking. But who was the one between Imogen and Touch Me, the No. 2 World Champion? That, too, will be revealed in the future.**

**See you in Chapter 10!**


	10. Chapter 10: Prelude to Battle

**The first Arc of my story is almost done. Thanks to everyone who has been sticking with me so far, and I hope you enjoy what remains of this Arc, as well as the next Arc that will come after this one. **

Chapter 10: Prelude to Battle

_'What am I thinking!? What am I doing!? I'm supposed to be a levelheaded Undead, why...'_

Ainz had no idea why his body suddenly acted on its own when the new Players got so close to falling on his trap. Perhaps a part of his subconscious considered the possibility that they couldn't triumph against the Anti-Player Dragon Lords, and that he may forever lose his chance to meet them face-to-face. Perhaps he just felt guilty. Whatever the reason, Ainz was now in front of them, too late to back down.

"So, you 5 sure are dumbfounded. So long has it been since you saw another Human?"

"Well, um, yes...actually. You're right, so long has it been. We're sorry."

_'Mmm, they are staring at me but it seems that they can't see through this disguise after all. Or maybe they aren't trying to? [Polymorph] isn't supposed to be that high-tier, but I'm not sure about the one I'm using. I didn't had this Spell back in YGGDRASIL after all.'_

Besides his shape-shifting Spell, Ainz is also using [False Data - Life] alongside [False Data - Mana] as well as rings and other gear to hide his HP and MP further. The clothes he's wearing are mundane too, made by tailors of this world. 100 years of cautiousness has conditioned his mind to be as fast-thinking as it could, even while making rushed decisions like this one.

He also noticed the presence of the hidden Fey'ri maids, but of course he said nothing about it.

"So, Dragons, was it?"

"Yes, yes. We recently heard of some nasty Dragons that plague these lands, we wanted to learn more since we know so little as foreigners, and we would hate to cross path with monsters like those."

"You are cautious, that is good."

Ainz/Daifuku didn't waited for their response before walking further in the library, the 5 and their maids just silently followed him behind. Teinu couldn't hold his curiosity so he was the first to break the ice.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, can you tell us how is a Human living in a Demi-Human country?"

"Oh, I don't live here, I'm just visiting. My actual home is the Re-Estize Kingdom, I'm staying as a guest since the head librarian is an old acquaintance of mine."

"I see. So what do you do for a living? You seem to be very well off."

"I'm an historian, a very good one if you don't mind me saying."

Ainz may not know everything but he's still one of the longest-lived beings in this world, he knows more about the New World than even most Sages, so he isn't really lying to the new Players.

"So you don't actually work here."

"No, but I offered to be your guide since we assumed that you would enjoy the company of a Human, seeing as most of you are. The country you come from has many Humans I assume?"

"Yes, it does. Our home country actually harbors Races of all kinds, so we aren't exactly uncomfortable around Demi-Humans either."

YGGDRASIL did harbor over 700 Races to chose from, so that's not really a lie. However, back in the game everybody was actually a Human, even those who picked a monstrous Race to play as were still Humans in real life, so actually meeting and talking to people that aren't genuine Humans did feel a bit off at first.

Ainz already knew the answer to the question he made, but he has every intention to act the part he's currently playing, and has 100 years of acting experience to back it up.

"Is this the first time you travel to other countries?"

"Yes it is. Everything here is so strange and alien to us."

"The cultural shock is normal I assure you...here we are, the section of ancient monsters. Dragons must be...there, that red cover tome."

"I will get it."

Ragnar used his membrane wings to reach the oversized book from the oversized shelf. Normally they wouldn't show their power in front of natives, but Insects having enormous physical strength is common sense, so a 3 meters tall beetle lifting very heavy objects shouldn't raise any alarms.

"Insects really are strong, uh. How I envy their physical prowess."

"You know some Insects, Mr. Daifuku?"

"I do, yes. One of my employees, a bodyguard actually. He's very good with weapons, the best swordsman I know."

Ainz learned time ago that twisting the truth is much easier than making up lies on the fly, since you will sound more convincing if you say something that you know is at least partially true.

"Thanks for your help Mr. Daifuku, we found what we were looking for, now if you excuse us."

They didn't wanted to be rude to the one that offered their help to them, but they needed Asmodel's Skill to read this world's language, something that they didn't wanted to show to anybody. They had to read their book in private.

"Pardon me, is this the first time you find literature in this lands? If it is, then you may not be able to read the contents. It's your first journey outside your homeland so you must likely don't know this, but written languages can differ between countries, especially if they are very far apart."

Oh, the 5 already know that alright. But just like how Ainz is acting the part of a wealthy historian, they too must act the part of ignorant travelers.

"Well, then it can't be helped. Maybe could you do us the favor of translating these country's language? If you don't mind."

Anchelo was quick to come up with a counterargument. Not only they would keep their cover but will also get the insight of someone who knows this world far better than them.

"Why, of course! I would be delighted to be your translator. Let's just find a nice and quiet place first."

Deep down Ainz was impressed by how well he's handling the current situation, most of his schemes are always designed beforehand and he seldom improvises, but it seems that his numerous decades of acting has really paid off after all.

Eventually they reached a very spacious room that the 5 immediately recognized as the place where people sat down to read in silence. And, obviously, it was enormous from their perspective, but such size must be normal for Trolls. Naturally, the chairs and tables were just way to large for them, they were considering to just open their book and read of the floor, but Daifuku did something they didn't expected.

"[Mass Fly]"

With that, all 11 people (maids included) just levitated all the way to land on one of the giant vacant tables, one big enough to accommodate several large Demi-Humans. The 5 definitely didn't expected this, but their maids however were dumbfounded, their disguises were seen through! How can they explain this to their masters? Their masters however were too distracted to notice such thing just yet.

"Y-you're a Magic Caster!?"

"Oh, I forgot to say that? I didn't imagined it important, do pardon me."

"No, we, we're sorry, is just that we haven't seen a mage of your Level in so long..."

While [Fly] is a mere 3rd Tier Spell, the [Mass Fly] Spell is actually a 5th Tier Spell, a couple of steps above the common Spell that allows levitation. Mages won access to a new Tier of magic for every 7 Levels they invested in Magic Caster Classes, they could be either Mage Job Classes, magic hybrid Job Classes, or Racial Classes that belong to a magically adept Race. In resume, the available Tier depending on Level went as follows:

1st Tier [Level 1-7]. 2nd Tier [Level 8-14]. 3rd Tier [Level 15-21]. 4th Tier [Level 22-28]. 5th Tier [Level 29-35]. 6th Tier [Level 36-42]. 7th Tier [Level 43-49]. 8th Tier [Level 50-56]. 9th Tier [Level 57-63]. 10th Tier [Level 64-70]. Starting from Level 71 the Magic Caster wins a Super-Tier Spell per Level, for a total of 30 Super-Tier Spells available for a Level 100 Mage.

Basically, Daifuku must have around 30 Levels in Mage Classes if he can cast [Mass Fly] on them. However, the amount of MP needed to sustain the Spell depends of the total amount of weight that the Caster is levitating alongside him, and Ragnar isn't really a light-weight individual, plus the massive book he's still holding must be very heavy too, so Daifuku must have a very big amount of MP, perhaps even more so than a mere 5th Tier Caster. The 5 were starting to get a little suspicious, did they really underestimate this world? Or just Daifuku is like that? One of the maids silently addressed Meitro, spoke to his ear in a low tone.

"Dear master, we're sorry but-"

"Shhh, not now."

Meitro cut the maid halfway through, their brains were too busy processing something else so none of the 5 noticed that Daifuku saw through and took their invisible maids with them. Instead Meitro decided to comment something, but made himself sure it didn't sounded like a question.

"So, you must be famous in your country, a 5th Tier Caster."

"Oh, you think a Mage of my caliber is rare. Is that so in your country?"

"It isn't in yours?"

"...eh, you are correct, I don't want to blow my own horn but very few reach the level of magic I have attained."

Oh, so they were right, this world really is low-level in general bar some exceptions. At least, according to this Daifuku. They were bewildered at first at the sight of this man, but, now they are more wary than ever. Asmodel for instance, was cursing his relaxed attitude.

_'How could we, I, drop my guard just because we came face-to-face with another Human for the first time since arriving here? This man is a stranger, Human or not, we don't know him and he doesn't knows us. I should be the one looking out for us, they named me their leader because they trust me.'_

Ainz, for his part, could tell their emotions at glance, he doesn't needs telepathy like Shura does to know what people are thinking. Again, his century-long experience at reading people isn't for nothing.

_'You 5 made the mistake of dropping your guard the moment you saw something you thought was familiar. I understand your desire to see other Humans, but you should know just as much as I do that our "kind" was never inherently good. How many people were truly good back in our world? You really believe the people of this world are better? Also, you seriously haven't noticed the fact that I found your maids? I even levitated them here with us, how clueless of you...'_

Maybe those 5 are idealistic teens or something? Ainz was wary all the time back when he and his abode arrived to the New World, he never dropped his guard even once. Even now he always makes sure to watch his back. Perhaps his Undead nature makes him level-headed by default?

_'I wouldn't have jumped into this situation if I truly was so calm. Maybe my soul is still too Human after all, even after all this time.'_

A few seconds of silence passed before Ragnar decided to say something.

"So, I've been holding this for a while, are we gonna read it?"

Surely even a giant book is no issue for an Insect, but Ragnar was getting sick of the current atmosphere, just like his 4 companions. Ainz/Daifuku cleared his throat and spoke in a calm tone.

"Yes let's. I apologize for stalling, I offered my assistance after all."

Ragnar placed the oversized tome in the floor/table and Daifuku was quick to begin his translation for them.

"The cover says 'Drakanav Codex'. It was written by the scholar Atarvex, with some input from the Sage Hejinmal. It's arguably the best encyclopedia for Dragons of the modern world."

Ainz genuinely put the effort to learn the languages of this world, you need a respectable amount of hobbies if you're immortal after all. Granted, there are still many languages he finds impossible to learn, both ancient and current, but the written alphabets of the surrounding countries are no issue for him.

"Let's see, the appendix displays the numerous amounts of Dragon breeds known to the intelligent Races, as well as compiled info about notable Dragons of the past and some famous Dragons that are still alive."

While Daifuku was translating for them, the 3 Magic Casters of the Player group were silently using appraising abilities to analyze this man. Because of Ainz's precautions however, they found nothing, neither his HP nor MP were any impressive, and his clothes were magic-less and mundane, but they continued to magically scout him nonetheless. Teinu saw that his Mage friends were silently scouting the Human, and Ragnar was flipping the oversized pages, so he was the one who addressed the man.

"So, we are specifically looking about some evil Dragons we heard about yesterday. Some beasts that rampage and destroy merely to hurt others? The one who told us about them used the term 'True Dragon Lord'."

At those words, Daifuku temporary stopped what he was doing and remained silent for 2 seconds. Then spoke again.

"Oh, those...the 'Alliance'..."

Alliance? So those are a team or something? It's their first time hearing that.

"That is a specially nasty group, those 6. I think this encyclopedia has an entry for them."

Daifuku instructed Ragnar to get at a specific page, the book had drawn depictions too, there was a section specially dedicated to the Anti-Player Dragons, and when the Insect reached the designed page they laid their eyes on a Dragon-shaped lump of...something. The "Dragon" had a long neck, a reptilian-looking head, and wings. It had six thick legs and a slender, whiplike tail. However, the neck was way too long, and the tail was extremely thin too, it looked like someone had stuck six legs and a winged beast onto the body of a snake. It was ugly and lumpy, without any of the majesticness a Dragon is supposed to have.

Daifuku then spoke to them in a very serious tone.

"This, is the Elder Coffin Dragon Lord, a Necromancer that uses his Wild Magic to manipulate Undead."

A Necromancer Dragon? There was no such thing back in YGGDRASIL. This Wild Magic must be more exotic than they thought if a Dragon can do things that only Players could do back in the game.

"This Dragon manipulates Undead by turning living beings into Zombies, then controls those Zombies like a puppeteer. Reports inform of how he can use those Zombies as extra limbs, fodder, and even serve as a meat armor of sorts."

"Uh? Armor, so that lump isn't the Dragon himself, but rather his armor made of Zombies?"

"Correct."

"Just, just how many Zombies are those? A Dragon that strong must be very old, and old Dragons are huge."

At least, it was that way in YGGDRASIL too.

"How many people did that Dragon kill to get that flesh suit?"

"Well, reports are vague at best. However, years of research has led us to the conclusion that such Dragon has been turning innocents into mindless Undead slaves for centuries now. His Zombies most likely are counted in the millions."

Millions of people...one moment they are enjoying life in this beautiful world, and in the next they are turned into Zombies just like that. They can't even begin to imagine that, those 5. This world doesn't looks that fantasy-like now.

"The Dragon hiding behind his murder victims, has anyone seen his true form? Surely if he hides behind a meat shield then he must be a coward with a weak body."

Anchelo was calm, but there was a tint of rage in his composed voice. Truth was, he role-played as an heroic Angel in YGGDRASIL because he truly cared about people and wanted to do good, something he couldn't do in his real life back then. The idea of an evil coward who kills people just to use their corpses as shield is something that really gets on his nerves.

The others weren't as kind hearted as he was, but they still felt distraught, they even unconsciously stopped their magic scanning of Daifuku and dropped their guards yet again.

"Well, unfortunately there has never been any sighting of the Elder Coffin Dragon Lord without his corpse armor enveloping him, so what he truly looks like is just conjecture for us. However, we speculate that you are correct, this Dragon must be really weak by himself if he feels the need to depend of a meat shield to protect himself. If that Zombie armor were to disappear, perhaps that Dragon may be left exposed and defenseless..."

Ainz wasn't lying, he truly had no idea how that Dragon really looked like. The 5 didn't knew this, but what "Daifuku" was telling them right now wasn't the information compiled in the Drakanav Codex about the Elder Coffin Dragon Lord, the book only had witness testimonies as well as warnings to never approach this Dragon written in it, what Ainz was telling them were the genuine results of his decades-long research on the Dragon Lords that belonged to the Anti-Player Alliance, information that no other New World native was allowed to know.

Ainz was giving these 5 his precious amassed knowledge, he was giving them a chance to win!

"Now, please flip to the next page, if you don't mind."

Ragnar obediently flipped the page and next they saw something that looked a bit more like a Dragon. At least, they thought it was a Dragon. It had the basic shape of a Western Dragon, a 4-legged lizard with leather wings. However, it was extremely pale, had bloodshot slit eyes, and an overall emaciated appearance. His claws seemed unnaturally long, giving the Dragon a look resembling more a dehydrated corpse than that of a living being.

"This is the Vampiric Dragon Lord. An Undead monster that kills people in mass murder so he can harvest their blood, must likely because of his vampiric nature. However, we speculate that besides their blood, this Dragon also has a need to harvest their Souls as well."

Vampire Dragons were formidable Monsters in YGGDRASIL, unlike the dumb and easy to defeat Zombie Dragons, the Vampire Dragons had more advanced AI and higher stats in general, the physically strongest Undead Dragons. However, they couldn't use magic like the Draco-Liches, so any properly optimized Level 100 Priest or Fire Elementalist could make quick work of a Vampire Dragon. However, all 5 had a gut feeling that this Vampiric Dragon Lord was nothing like those Dragons from the game.

They wanted to be certain so Ragnar asked the man.

"So, what can that Dragon do? Besides stomp on beings weaker than him, I mean."

"Well, testimonies from some centuries-old beings speak of some weird ability to accumulate his harvested blood into a giant floating orb of sorts, most likely through the use of Wild Magic."

"Wha, floating orbs of blood...?"

"Correct. Weird, no?"

Weird? That's impossible! A Vampire amassing blood into a single floating orb, that's an individual using [Blood Pool], but that's a Skill that is only granted by the [Blood Drinker] Job Class. Dragons are Monsters made with "Monster Data", those beings don't posses neither Racial Classes nor Job Classes, since those are for beings made with "Player Data" that is also used to make NPC. Some Dragons were Bosses made with "Boss Data" as well, but Bosses were similar to Monsters in the regard of lacking Racial Classes and Job Classes.

They eventually stopped that train of thought of course, they remembered that this world is NOT the game, just because Dragons couldn't get Job Classes in YGGDRASIL doesn't mean that they can't in this world. They should stop their inner ramblings and keep listening.

"Any more questions?"

"No, no. We would like to learn about the others instead."

"Alright then, if you don't mind."

Ragnar again flipped the giant page, this time it was a pitch-black Dragon that seemed to be the physical embodiment of darkness. It had dark and translucent scales that gave him a lustrous black appearance, horns pointing backwards, a long fringe of spines that emerged from the back of his neck, and his tail had something resembling a swimming fin. His eyes however gave the impression of shining in a low purple glow.

"Now we see the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord. This Dragon in particular is still mostly unknown to us, but is very dangerous nonetheless. A long time ago there was an underground ecosystem that served as the home of many intelligent Races who lived in peace, but this beast massacred everything and everyone living in such place and took residence for himself."

A Dark Dragon? A Gravity Dragon? A Shadow Dragon? A Deep Dragon? A Pit Dragon? So many dark-colored Dragons back in YGGDRASIL, which would be the closest one to this Deep Darkness Dragon Lord? A totally new breed native of this world could be likely too.

"So what can this one do?"

"I'm afraid we don't know much of his abilities either. We do know however that he manipulates shadows to his whim, darkness is his to mold and command. There is a very old tale that speaks of a battle between this Dragon and a being from another plane. A battle where the Dragon emerged victorious."

"Uh? What do you mean? Another plane?"

"Are you aware of the Church of Nazarick? The beings worshipped as Gods that inhabit a great and otherworldly tomb?"

Ainz felt a little embarrassed saying that, to be honest.

"Yes, we were informed of such thing recently. We are total foreigners to this lands you see."

"Well, you should know then that they descended from another plane from this one, another world. The being that the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord defeated 400 years ago, it came from the same world that the beings that inhabit Nazarick came from."

The hell!? This Deep Darkness Dragon Lord defeated a being from YGGDRASIL!? 400 years ago, so Momonga and his Guild Base weren't the first ones after all. More alarming however is the fact that there are beings in this world that can defeat Players like them, these Dragon Lords don't seem to be mob fodder, they really can die if they fight them...

Ainz for his part was uncertain if he should've let them know that a Player was defeated, but he didn't wanted the new guys to go easy on these Dragons, so he told them that to make them aware of what they're fighting against. What he did refused to tell them however was that the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord has one of "The Twenty" under his possession, the World-class Item that he took from the Player he defeated. He wanted them to be wary, but didn't wanted them to lose hope of victory either.

Also, it's very likely that the Dark Dragon doesn't even knows how to use that Item, so he felt that withholding that information from them was a safe gamble.

"So, do you want to know about the remaining ones?"

It took a noticeable amount of time before one of them answered in the affirmative, it seems that they started to have doubts. Perhaps telling then of the slain Player was a mistake? Well, too late to take back his words.

Ragnar flipped the page once again, and now they saw a gray-colored Dragon sporting spiky horns from head to tail. It seemed that every single scale in his body ended in a pointy edge, making him look like a cross between a Dragon and a hedgehog, his wings looked muscled but were tiny, perhaps he was a poor flyer. His tail in particular seemed deadly, its tip was split in 2 and was forked with scythe-like blades.

"You're seeing the Thousand Blade Dragon Lord. He isn't the physically strongest in the Alliance, but is arguably the best fighter among them. As you might guess, every single part of his body is a deadly sword, and he knows how to use each one perfectly well. Also-"

"Excuse me, sorry to interrupt but I have a question."

Asmodel held his hand to signal Daifuku to stop.

"If these Dragons are so strong that they can defeat these...'Gods from another world', then how can you or anyone know so much about them and their abilities? Or the fact that they belong to some alliance?"

_'Oh, it seems my tale of the killed Player made you suspicious and skeptical. That's good, you aren't a blind fool after all.'_

"Well, you heard of the Platinum Dragon Lord?"

"I think we heard about him, yes. One of the Dragon Councillors of a Demi-Human country near the edge of this continent."

"He is a Dragon on par with these ones. He knows them personally, and can testify for their cruelty."

"Then why isn't HE hunting them?"

"Well, there are extenuating circumstances, I don't feel safe saying them to you, being foreigners..."

Ainz surely can't tell them that he is a direct ally of the Platinum Dragon Lord, even though he did get most of his knowledge about the True Dragon Lords from him.

"Then, what about that Skeleton God everyone here prays to? What is he doing?"

"Meitro, that's rude."

"Don't tell me you 4 aren't thinking that too. Everyone here literally worships that Undead, yet I don't hear him hunting these beasts down to protect the people at all! Some 'God' that guy is."

Teinu got behind him and closed his mouth with his hand, he then whispered to his Demon friend's ear.

"I get that you think low of Momonga, giving your backstory as a member of UnderKings, but can you be a bit more respectful? That is people's religion, you can't go around insulting others' faith."

Calling it "faith" is up to debate since the Gods of this world are physical beings everyone can see.

"I apologize for my friend's outburst. Please give him no mind."

Anchelo said so in the most polite way he could, but Daifuku didn't seem upset at all.

"No need, I understand his point of view as well. And I also understand that extenuating circumstances isn't enough to convince people about the lack of actions of the God-King. But that's how it is."

Again, talking about himself that way really makes Ainz feel uncomfortable, and the fact that he hasn't done anything yet about those Dragon Lords really does make him feel guilty. If these new Players can get rid of these mysterious opponents that he himself is too insecure to confront, then he will be really grateful from the bottom of his heart.

"I do apologize for interrupting you earlier. I, we, would like to keep learning what the tome says."

"Very well."

Ainz returned his gaze to the page, but he was actually scrambling his brain, looking for any other info he has about the Thousand Blade Dragon Lord that could be useful in battle.

"It seems that this Dragon Lord, in exchange of excellent natural weapons and extraordinary fighting ability has very poor ability in Wild Magic, he merely uses it to enhance his own body and overall physical attacks."

"So he pales in long-range combat?"

"Well, no. According to the Platinum Dragon Lord who saw him in combat with his own eyes centuries ago, the Thousand Blade Dragon Lord has the ability to shoot some of his protruding spikes to piece enemies from afar. He's just as lethal at long-range combat."

That Dragon really is half-porcupine...

"Next is the last one with information in this tome, please flip the page once more."

"Last one? Weren't they 6?"

"Yes, I will explain eventually, I promise."

Ragnar stared suspiciously at Daifuku for a while, but he did flip the page at the end, and they saw the fifth Dragon Lord of the Alliance. This Dragon looked like a cross with another animal just like the previous one, this time the Dragon looked like a half-turtle. However, the "shell" of this Dragon seemed to be made out of granite, or some mineral much harder than that. It had no wings, but had a lizard head and tail, you can clearly see that he's a Dragon. His weird looks made him resemble the Meteoric Turtle, an average-level Boss from YGGDRASIL.

"Last but not least is the Mountainous Dragon Lord. As his title and appearance might suggest, this Dragon is strong, very, very strong. He lacks the combat ability of the Thousand Blade Dragon Lord, but he doesn't needs it. His defense is flawless, even Dragons of similar level are unable to even scratch his shell, and his legs are so powerful that he can make tremendous jumps to fall on his enemies and crush them flat."

So he doesn't just looks like the Meteoric Turtle, he fights like it too. First the Vampiric Dragon Lord and now this, the connection between this True Dragon Lords and YGGDRASIL beings can't be a coincidence.

"Is this Dragon poor in long-range fights then?"

Daifuku gave them a mischievous smile, as if saying "why are you even asking that?" but gave them an answer anyways.

"This Dragon seems to have geomancer abilities, he can telekinetically move the earth, entire mountains bend to his will and become devastating projectiles."

Wild Magic, must likely. A Necromancer that can manipulate millions of Undead, a Vampire Dragon that can mimic the Vampire Players/NPCs of YGGDRASIL, a natural swordsman with excellent combat ability, a literal moving mountain that can even bring other mountains to fight, and one that can even kill a Player.

How wrong they were by comparing these Dragons to the mobs of the game, these monsters are no joke. Perhaps Momonga really is afraid of them after all? But he has Nazarick, there must be a reason why he doesn't just sends the Eight Floor entities to crush them. What about the being they made with the [Caloric Stone]? Such entity was supposedly made after the legendary 1,500 strong raid, so nobody has an idea what such being could be.

Before deciding for good if they will challenge these Dragons, however, they needed to have all the information they wanted, that includes the sixth Dragon Lord that Daifuku is hiding from them. Asmodel asked about it in a very serious tone.

"So why is there no information in this codex about the final Dragon in this alliance? Even the Platinum Dragon doesn't knows about it?"

"He does know, I'm certain. At least, that's what my connections say."

Ainz must be careful not to reveal them who he is. Not yet, anyways.

"You sure there's nothing else here?"

Ragnar asked before flipping the page one more time, and to his' and his friends' surprise they saw yet another Dragon, but only the drawn depiction was there, they were no words of any sort. However, they were far too distracted by the Dragon's appearance to notice the lack of info. It had 2 mouths in its head, 8 eyes, 4 wings on its back, 2 tails, and 6 legs just like the Necromancer Dragon has, but only the 2 hind legs actually looked like legs, the 4 front legs resembled humanoid arms. Looking closely, the torso of the Dragon looked suspiciously humanoid too, yet it was still a monstrous-looking being. The Dragon also seemed to lack scales, instead it was covered by a carapace seemingly made out of, of...wood? If it weren't for the basic lizard shape of the depicted creature, they wouldn't even classify it as "Dragon".

"Mr. Daifuku, what is this thing? Is that even a Dragon?"

Daifuku/Ainz remained silent for a while. He knew about this Dragon, he knew his title, and had a vague idea of his abilities. However, he had absolutely no intention of telling the new Players about him, since if the story of Deep Darkness Dragon Lord made them doubt a little, then hearing about this Dragon will make them lose all desire to fight. This "wood" Dragon is the main reason Ainz is so wary of the Anti-Player Alliance, if the words of Tsaindorcus are to he trusted that is, and he has no reason to believe that the Platinum Dragon Lord is lying to him.

Instead, Ainz wanted to seize this opportunity to continue his original plan of pushing them into a confrontation with the Dragon Lords in order to get rid of such unknown enemies and to test out the abilities of the new Players too. He already told them everything he wanted to say to them, the 5 are now as aware as he is about their abilities, so they should be prepared to fight if forced to do so. He chose his next words very carefully.

"This specific Dragon...the powers at be don't want the common people learning too much about him."

"Well, you don't seem as a 'common' person yourself. Surely you must know something."

"Why should I tell you? You 5 seem like good people, but you're still foreigners. You already know how all those evil Dragons look like, isn't that enough to avoid them?"

"Well, truth is, perhaps there's something we can do about all this. We aren't common people ourselves either, also, we know about some exceptional individuals that live back in our homeland."

"Is that so...?"

"Yes, these monsters seem the type of calamities that affect everyone, not just a single country or continent. Surely if everyone unites and works together, there must be something that can be done."

"You 5, you aren't just travelers, are you?"

Ainz really wondered if they were a bit too self-righteous for their own good. But no matter, if that makes them easy to manipulate, then all the better. He pretended to think about it for a while, then spoke again.

"I shouldn't trust you, but my gut is telling me that you're telling the truth, and your eyes aren't lying either."

Ainz remained silent for a little while longer before speaking again.

"Very well. I'm willing to tell you what I know about this last Dragon. However, you can't unlearn what you just learned, and you will be in possession of knowledge that only few people know so far. Are you truly certain you want to hear it?"

"...can we talk about this for a while?"

"Sure, take your time."

Asmodel called for a private meeting, the 5 moved to a corner of the giant table they were standing, they continued to ignore the fact that their maids were up there with them, and discussed in a low voice.

"Are we sure about this? Those Dragons seem much stronger than we anticipated."

"We haven't decided to go fight them yet, have we? We just intend to learn about them for now."

"Those Dragons are monsters, we can't just stand and do nothing."

Anchelo really does feel the urge to help people, no matter what. Perhaps that aspect of him was augmented even more by his new angelic body.

"This is no game, buddy. This is real. If we die like that Player 400 years ago, then we really die. No respawning for us. Should we really risk our new lives for complete strangers?"

Meitro for his part was the most pessimistic. Perhaps is his demonic body altering his mind, or was he always that apathetic?

"To be honest, hearing such things only made me a bit excited. I don't know why, but I have a real desire to fight those Dragons now."

Oh, Ragnar seemed enthusiastic about it. He always was a Player who enjoyed challenging fights, and it seems the fact that the danger is real this time didn't diluted his desire for a thrill, if anything it made it bigger.

"I'm still in the fence about all this. For one side I do dislike the idea of monsters like those stepping around the weak and defenseless, but I also don't want to die, not when we finally can enjoy life for real in a world of natural beauty like this one."

Teinu voiced his opinion, and it seems that is Asmodel who will have the last word now.

_'What to do, risk our lives for the people of this world? Turn a blind eye to ensure our safety? And what the hell is Momonga doing? Is he really such an apathetic person? If we could just meet him in person and ask...'_

Asmodel knew that there must be a reason behind Momonga's lack of action, this is supposed to be his world after all. Perhaps he really is doing something, but nobody knows? Well no point in trying to figure out such things. For now, they should finish the task they assigned themselves to do.

"Let's ask Mr. Daifuku about this final Dragon, then we will return to our current place and discuss this further in private. We will see what we do from there."

The other 4 nodded, and addressed the man once again.

"We decided. Please, tell us what you know."

"Alright, but not here. Let's find a more private place first. There's a special room for employees, we can talk there."

This employee room was "mined" with a teleport circle, it was the place that the personnel of this library were originally supposed to guide the Players to, but Ainz delayed that in order to tell the Players everything he knew about the Dragon Lords' abilities to increase their chances of victory. Now that such thing was done, Ainz had no reason to hold them back no more, he couldn't run the risk of the new guys chickening out and deciding not to fight either. This was for the sake of Nazarick, the children of his friends, if he has to force other Players like him to risk death then he will do so without hesitation.

However, if the new Players do emerge victorious, then he will truly thank them from the bottom of his heart, and will accept them with open arms to his Kingdom. He will make them Nobles even, the best quality of life he can offer to them. Perhaps even...no, not that.

Ainz once again casted [Mass Fly] on everyone (including The easily discovered maids, again) and landed on the floor, then quietly walked towards the trapped room so the Players can be taken to their battlefields. The oversized door was opened by an employee and they walked in, and after the door closed behind them Ainz turned around and faced them, perhaps for the last time, took out a Magic Device from his Item Box and said his possible final words to his peers.

"So this is it, I enjoyed talking to you, and I sincerely hope you survive. Good luck, and I'm sorry."

"Uh? You have an Item Box!?"

"Are, are you-?"

Ainz pressed a button in the Device to activate the magic in the circle, teleporting each Player to a different place far away.

"What? What is this!?"

"Daifuku! You son of a-"

And with that, the 5 Players were gone.

"Masters!? Dear masters!"

"Where are they!? What did you do!?"

The maids that were still in the room were so distraught that they totally forgot the fact that they were supposed to hide. One of them even ran towards Ainz and grabbed his clothes with her long pointy-nailed hands.

"Please! Please tell us! Where are our masters!? Where are they!? Please!"

Another maid was screaming at him with a rage.

"Where are our masters! Tell us! We will call the Guardians of the Crystal Castle to destroy you if you don't bring them back!"

Ainz wasn't angry at them however, he felt a bit sad, and very guilty. He knows perfectly well how loyal his servants of Nazarick are to him, how much despair he would bring them if one day he just disappears without warning or trace. And yet, that is the same despair that he is currently forcing upon these Fey'ri maids.

"I'm so sorry. [Hypnosis]"

This Spell put the outraging maids to sleep. So far, only these 5 maids know that the Players disappeared to parts unknown to them, but since he has been keeping an eye of them he knows that these maids rotate, meaning that 5 new maids are supposed to take their place by the end of this day. Good thing that he already came up with an idea that will help him prevent the inhabitants of the Crystal Castle to go insane. Who knows the kind of things that the NPCs would do if their masters disappear, Ainz himself can only shudder at that thought.

In any case, Ainz can only hope that the outcome of this plan results in the best for Nazarick, and in the best for the new guys too if possible.

_'I'm rooting for you guys, please do your best, and I hope you forgive me after all this is over.'_

**Next Chapter, the Elder Coffin Dragon Lord. **


	11. Chapter 11: Elder Coffin Dragon Lord

**Cure Elim=Los Malvar was born a few centuries before the waning days of the Dragon Empire, he was very meek in the Dragon standards of that age, with sub par Wild Magic and a feeble personality.**

**For most of his life before the advent of Players he was little more than a buffoon to Dragons much older and far more powerful than him. He was a bootlicker, a toady, always hiding behind his seniors. A total coward, whose only purpose in existence was to amuse his masters.**

**When the infamous Dragon killers, the polluters of this world, the Dragon Emperor's filth, begun to decimate the once mighty Dragon Race and easily slain the most powerful beings Cure Elim knew, the coward ran. True to his nature, he escaped like the weakling he was, he fled from the accursed group of 8 while his seniors and even peers braved against those seemingly all-powerful aliens.**

**When the destruction finally ceased and the dust settled, Cure Elim came out of his hiding hole only to see the mountains of Dragon corpses and rivers of Dragon blood that the accused filth left behind. And if that wasn't insulting enough, the slaves Races whose only purpose in life was to serve the rightful kings of this world, Dragons like him, were given the same warped magic that the filth used to exterminate his kind.**

**The rage building up deep in his heart became the driving force of Cure Elim from that day forward. He swore to himself that he would eliminate the filth from this world no matter what, even if it cost him everything, he would pay any price to become strong enough to do so...and would force others to paid the ultimate price if needed be... **

Chapter 11: Elder Coffin Dragon Lord

Meitro was in the middle of his rageful cursing when the magic circle teleported him to a place far, far away from where he was.

"That, that son of a bitch. Where-?"

Meitro looked around, his friends weren't there with him anymore. His eyes only saw cliffs and mountains in the scenery around him, he was no longer in any city of any sort. He in particular was standing in what seemed to be the corner of a very large mountain, but it was abnormally flat and wide open in all directions, it was over 2 km in length and breadth. There's no way such place is a natural phenomenon, someone must have used magic of some sort to make the place he's currently standing in.

But Meitro had no time to think about that, such open space made him immediately realize that there was something truly bizarre here. Before his eyes there was a gigantic ovoid mass made of countless corpses stacked one on top of the other sitting in the middle of this plaza.

"What is this, these corpses weren't buried, there's no place to bury them here either. They piled them up to cremate them? Some weird ritual? This is creepy."

Meitro was considering to leave this place, such a ridiculous amount of dead individuals is a bit unnerving, even if he's a high-level Demon. Besides, he needed to find and reunite with his friends, and say a thing or more to that bastard Daifuku.

_'If Daifuku really is your name, you backstabber. You had an Item Box, just like we do, just who are you? What are you?'_

His enhanced senses told him that they were no moving organisms anywhere in the vicinity, so he replaced the plain clothes he was wearing with his usual YGGDRASIL gear and deactivated [Polymorph]. He used [Fly] to gain some altitude and once again checked his surroundings once he was higher, it was a full moon night, and further down the landscape he saw what seemed to be the ruins of a once large city. The houses were devastated by time and the elements, the streets were empty, only the howling wind is what his ears could hear.

_'Nobody lives around here, then who amassed all these corpses? Dead bodies eventually rot and decay, so these people must have died recently, no? The only corpses that don't rot are...!...'_

Undead.

Because of the negative energy that reanimates them, the Undead never decay, no fly ever tries to lay eggs on them nor carrion beast ever tries to gnaw them. The end of all metabolic functions also includes the perpetual halt of decomposition, so the only explanation that Meitro could come up with at the current situation is that all those corpses were indeed Zombies.

_'But, low-level Undead attack all living beings at sight, it's their instinct. Why did none of those Zombies tried to attack me?'_

As he was wondering that however, his senses were warning him of nearby movement. Meitro slowly moved his face downwards to look below him, and what he saw was slightly disturbing. The mass of Zombies wobbled, then as through breaking out of an egg the formerly ovoid mass took the shape of something Meitro saw recently. It was fresh in his memory, he knew exactly what the thing in front of him was. What he didn't knew however is how big such thing really was in comparison to him, it was at least 150 meters long from head to tail, there was nothing so massive back in YGGDRASIL.

The thing's mouth slowly opened, and its bass voice echoed in all directions.

"You. I wondered where you came from, and why I couldn't absorb your weak Human Soul. But, you're no Human, you...that Equipment you're wearing..."

The "mouth" seemed to be composed out of piled Zombies, surely the voice's owner must be the Dragon hiding behind such an absurd amount of Undead.

"That stench you emanate, there's no mistaking it, you're a Demon. Are you not?"

The Dragon's face moved. Actually, it was the Zombies moving, but they were very well controlled. It was hard for Meitro to tell what was the Dragon's expression supposed to show, and didn't knew exactly why the Dragon was asking him that.

"What if I am a Demon? Do I get a reward or something?"

The face composed of countless Zombies twiested yet again, and the combined voices of the innumerable Undead composing the thing's mouth echoed with what seemed to be excitement.

"Ha! Why are you hiding your nature? You afraid of me?"

"Why do you care if I'm a Demon or not anyway?"

"Because it would seem that the garbage legends of the slave Races were true, high-level Demons possess riches and treasure far surpassing anything the mortals have. I hit the jackpot! Hahahaha!"

"Huh? What are you talking about? Treasure? You want money?"

The riches Meitro have in his possession, the inventory space of his Item Box, is the combined wealth that used to be in the Treasury of the Fervent Mount of Gog, the Guild Base of UnderKings. Back during the waning days of YGGDRASIL the Guild Master of UnderKings abandoned the game after the object of his obsession disappeared. That Guild Master was Zarathos, the World Champion of Muspelheim, his build and skill as a Player were superior to even those of the World Champion of Helheim, Touch Me (even if slightly). However, the only Player of the entire game that Zarathos could never surpass was Imogen, his most hated rival.

The World Champion of Asgard eventually quit the game, and Zarathos was forever denied his opportunity to defeat that Angel, and with no more reason to continue playing YGGDRASIL the Demon, too, quit the game without any sort of announcement or warning, leaving UnderKings in a state of utter chaos and anarchy. Meitro for his part knew that such thing was the end of the Guild he helped to create, so he made himself sure that nobody saw him when he sneaked into their Treasury and took every single gold coin they had for himself.

While there is a weight limit to how much can be stored in your Item Box, the amount of money you can store is limitless, so while Meitro could and did take all the Gold his Guild had, he couldn't take all the Items, so he had to left most of them where they were for his former comrades to scavenge. And that's how Meitro became one of the richest Players left in YGGDRASIL.

_'Is that Dragon smelling the Gold in my inventory? That would be insane. I know Dragons are supposed to have some weird treasure sense but it would be beyond broken if this thing can actually smell treasure stored in a separate pocket dimension.'_

"Money? Fwahahahaha! You believe I'm as materialistic as your kind? It's not your worthless gold what I seek."

"Then?"

"Legends of this modern and polluted world speak of how your kind takes the Souls of foolish beings in exchange of fulfilling their greatest desires. The more Souls a Demon has, the more powerful it becomes, and the greatest is its amount of wealth."

The Demons of this world do that? Meitro had no idea.

"Demons take the shape of their prey in order to fool them into a false sense of security, that's why you can take the shape of a Human, isn't it? And the treasure that covers you, there's no way that common beings from the slave Races could craft the panoply you wear."

Meitro had a bad feeling about this, if this Dragon really is that Alliance member that he heard about, then this is no small fry. He has to prevent a confrontation if he can.

"So what if I can take Human form? Or have quality gear? Just because of that I have to be a Demon?"

"Your stench! I will never forget that stench. Those disgusting creatures called forth by the twisted magic of that accursed lot, slaughtering my brethren like lapdogs to those 8 pieces of filth, the filth that gave their twisted magic to the slave Races so they can summon disgusting creatures too!"

_'Can that thing really smell me all the way inside that dead meat suit? Dragon senses truly are something. Or is he using the noses of the Zombies?'_

While he was pondering that, Meitro also took note of the Dragon's furious tone, this thing wasn't trying to hide the deep rage in his voice. "Accused lot"? "8 pieces of filth"? Meitro doesn't knows nor cares what the Dragon is talking about.

"Your kind helped to eradicate mine, you disgusting Demon. So in retribution, I will take both your own Soul, and all the Souls you've collected so far! A fair trade, won't you agree?"

This is bad, Meitro has to teleport, but where to? He has no idea where he is right now, so maybe he can just fly at great speeds? This thing may just persue him if he flies away, and those wings of the thing's back may not be just for show.

"I have no business with you, Dragon. I don't know what you take me for, but I have no Souls for you, so I will turn back and leave this place to never return."

"Oh, you want to leave? Not happening!"

When the Dragon said that, a thin membranous substance expanded and seemed to cover over the entire mountain. It was massive, and looked to have an area measured in kilometres.

"What is that?"

"I can't have you running away, it's not everyday I cross paths with a disgusting creature like you. If you won't give me your Souls willingly, then I just have to take them by force!"

The Dragon's right foreleg suddenly swelled up, and a vast quantity of Zombies extended forward like a rope. They seized Meitro who was taken by surprise and tried to drag him towards the swelled foreleg.

"What? Let me go you-"

"Is this it? This is all you got? And here I was thinking your kind was half-strong, but no matter, rest in peace knowing that your miserable existence ended for the noble purpose of giving me more power!"

As Meitro was swallowed up by the Dragon's foreleg however, he activated a Racial Skill, and the foreleg composed of Zombies instantly flared up in an explosion of hellfire, blowing up a good chunk of the Undead-composed limb. This was [Infernus Mantellum], a Skill Meitro has thanks to the powerful Racial Class [Evil Lord], a Skill that covers the user in a mantle of dark flames and serves as both a shield that raises his DEF stats and as an aura that severely burns anyone who touches or is near him, and also has a high chance of cursing those burned by it since hellfire isn't normal fire.

It seems the Dragon was startled by such thing since the incredibly massive body jumped back, increasing the distance between himself and the Demon. As the remaining Zombies that were still burning where discarded away, Meitro saw undamaged Zombies from inside the meat shield replenish the Zombies he just burned. Just how many Undead are there? Meitro couldn't begin to imagine such amount.

"That power you used just now, as I imagined, you really are no small fry are you? You disgusting Demon. Oh well, I wish to assess the completion of this body, so keep attacking me with all your might, you understand?"

"Uh? What am I? Your test subject?"

"Indeed, you should be thanking me for elevating your pitiful self into such honorable position."

Meitro was starting to get annoyed, just who does this Dragon thinks he is? Perhaps he should give him a lesson before departing to look for his friends.

"Test subject, huh. You seem proud of that meat shield, I bet it took you years, decades, centuries, to amass such a huge amount of Undead, am I wrong?"

"What do you care? That's none of your business. Just be quiet and serve your purpose as the little slave you are."

This Dragon was getting on his nerves...

"Because, it would be a pity if something or someone just...destroyed it without a trace, wouldn't it?"

Meitro delivered such line with a wicked smile drawn all over his reptilian face. His defensive Skill was still active, so the hellfire mantle covering his body combined with the devilish smile on his face truly gave him the image of a Spawn of Hell. However, the Dragon just sneered at him.

"And who's going to do such thing? You? Fwahahahahaha! Jester, what a jester you are! I know, if you surrender all your Souls willingly and become my jester, I will spare your life. How's that? Am I not merciful?"

Every single thing that came out of the Dragon's mouth was irritating Meitro more and more.

"You know what? Forget destroying just your armor, I'm annihilating you for good, how's that?"

"Annihilating me! Hahahaha! What a marvellous jester you are! Truly, you are entertaining!"

Perhaps a more humble-minded person wouldn't mind being mocked like that, but Meitro was actually a very proud individual. Yes, he was a Summoner, and those are support to other more battle-oriented Players, but Meitro was no common Summoner, he was one of the founding members of UnderKings, their head strategist, and someone that even Zarathos acknowledged as incredibly capable. Had he built a full offense Mage that was suited for combat instead of a WildCard build, then he would've became one of the most formidable Players in YGGDRASIL, someone in the Upper Top-Tier most likely.

Some of his Guildmates even told him a few times that he could've been on par with the absolute most powerful Mage of Ainz Ooal Gown had he taken battle-oriented Classes. Meitro knew that was just flattery however, the infamous Demon they were comparing him with was one of the strongest holders of the [World Disaster] Job Class, no Level 100 Magic Caster can compare with someone who has that Job Class, and Ulbert Alain Odle was a min-maxed Heteromorph too, even other World Disasters learned to fear him. The reason Meitro didn't became a combat Player was simple, among the Demons that united to create UnderKings, everybody but him was a power gamer obsessed with becoming as strong as they could, they lacked utility abilities, flexibility, and even careful planning for raids and Guild Wars, all things Meitro could faithfully provide. And in a Guild as chaotic and lustful for power as UnderKings, Players that excel in such things were painfully in demand, and even when the Guild rose in power and prominence, attracting even more and more members, those that focused in brains instead of brawn were still very scarce, so Meitro was considered one of the most valuable members of one of the Three Great Heteromorph Guilds.

Hence, Meitro was very proud of himself, but he wasn't delusional however. He could tell when he was out of his league, and seldom acted on impulse. This Dragon, perhaps he can win if he's serious, his Skill just proved that his Zombies can easily be burned by his hellfire, but can he burn the whole thing? Also, what type of Dragon lies behind the meat shield? It would really suck if there's a Holy Dragon or something similar behind all those Undead.

"Well then, if you really do intend to destroy me, then you are welcome to try, dear jester. By all means, unleash everything you have at me, I can't wait to hear your wails of despair when you realize how powerless you are in front of Cure Elim, the ■ ■ Dragon Lord!"

"Uh? What was that?"

"Ah, yes...indeed! I am the Elder Coffin Dragon Lord!"

What was that weird noise he heard? Meitro paid it no mind, he has to get rid of this Dragon Lord if he wants to go look for his friends in peace, and because he's pissed off as well. His mind shifted into PK mode, he took out his Divine-class staff from his inventory and braced himself, the Dragon made his next move.

The movement was ponderously slow, but it closed the distance with incredible speed, it was suspicious, but Meitro immediately realized the source of this disconnect. The Zombies below Cure Elim's feet that were in contact with the ground were writhing on a set of tracks, driving his body forward after it took his first step. It was a truly nauseating sight.

"You're an experiment subject, jester, so take care not to die with this."

Cure Elim raised his left foreleg from far away, swinging it like it was going to perform a sweeping kick. There was no way he could hit Meitro from that distance, so what gives? At that moment, the foreleg unfurled like a paper roll. It was very slow however, flying away from the attack radius was trivial, but as the massive forelimb formed of Zombies swept below Meitro, he saw protruding from it long, thick, and tentacle-like objects. They opened their maws, and Meitro realized what they were.

"Zombie Dragons? You use your own kind!?"

As he said that, Meitro smashed the heads of those huge Zombies with his staff. It was indeed a staff designed to enhance Meitro's Spells and Skills, so he shouldn't be using it as a bludgeoning weapon. However, [Infernus Mantellum] covers the weapons of the user in hellfire too, and the Zombie Dragons are relatively low-level as well. Meitro doesn't even needs to use much force behind each strike.

Cure Elim, for his part, didn't seem to mind that his Zombies were so easily destroyed, he seemed to be a bit glad in fact judging by what he said next.

"Own kind? Hahahaha! What a jester you are. How could I consider inferior living beings to be of the same kind as myself?"

So arrogant, this Dragon Lord. Even other Dragons apparently don't deserve to stand in the same place as him. Meitro really dislikes Cure Elim's attitude, and he itches to see him swallow his words.

As he blew apart the last Zombie Dragon, the foreleg swung again, and this time he saw a massive hand coming out of the same Zombie-composed forelimb reaching out to him. Meitro immediately realized what it was this time too. Giants. This Cure Elim really is a Necromancer like no other from YGGDRASIL, no Player could control such an absurd amount of Undead, perhaps not even Momonga (who was considered the most skilled Necromancer in the entire game) could.

In any case, Meitro flew farther away to see that several Giants were revealing their upper bodies to increase their reach and capture him, but this time he will attack from afar. He deactivated [Infernus Mantellum] since he wants to go easy and feel out the strength of the Zombies, pointed his staff towards those Undead and cast a Spell.

"[Napalm]"

He used a mere 7th Tier Spell in order to test out the durability of the Giant Zombies, but as he expected, they couldn't resist such flames and were incinerated without a trace. Another good chunk of the forelimb was burned, again. And even more Zombies came out from inside Cure Elim's meat shield to replace the burned ones, again.

"Good, good. The experiment is going smoothly, you really are useful after all little jester."

That's it, Meitro's patience just officially ran out.

"Are those the best Undead you have? Dragons and Giants?"

"Why should I answer you? I told you already that you just need to be a good little jester and entertain me."

"That so? Then, I hope you enjoy this. [Summon Demon 10th Tier]"

What Meitro called forth was a Locust Lord, an insect-shaped Demon that has a passive Skill that augments the power of other insects called forth by its Summoner, assuming the Summoner was evil-aligned of course. The lower the Karma, the stronger the power boost.

"What is that? The Spell you just used is high tier isn't? Excellent! Go ahead and order that disgusting being to attack me, or you need time to call forth more? Haha, what an obedient jester you are!"

"Oh, you're just going to let me prepare? You really are an idiot."

Meitro took out from his Item Box a watch and an hourglass, he put on the watch, turned it on, then stared at Cure Elim's "face" and pointed his clawed finger towards him.

"You are going to swallow every single piece of garbage you spew from your mouth towards me."

"Fwahahahaha! Yes, of course I will! Come on, make me swallow them! Hahaha!"

A gigantic magic circle appeared around Meitro, he was casting a Super-Tier Spell. He then crushed the hourglass on his hand, casting the Spell immediately. What came forth was one of the most vile Super-Tier Spells in the entirety of YGGDRASIL.

"[Disaster of Abaddon's Locust]!"

The sky turned red, the wind started to blow with great strength, and a large black cloud appeared out of nowhere above Meitro. The cloud compressed into the shape of a perfect sphere, a sphere that opened itself to reveal a grey-winged Angel.

"What? That Spell, you...?"

"Shut up. You told me to go all out, idiot Dragon, so stand there and let the Angel of the Abyss destroy you."

Abaddon was very large, easily 5 meters tall. He had pure white hair, 4 wings, 5 closed eyes, pale yellow skin, 7 fingers in each hand and toes in each foot, and red marks all over his skin. His body was covered in a grey toga adorned with purple amethyst clothes, his wrists had golden bracelets, and floating above his head was a diadem-shaped crown instead of a halo. This Angel was a King, no doubt, but King of what? Cure Elim will find out soon enough.

"Lord of Destruction, Abaddon the King of Locusts, open your eyes! Gaze upon my enemies, and destroy them!"

After hearing his summoner's chant, Abaddon opened his previously closed eyes to reveal 5 emerald-colored gems that shine in a soft green glow in his eye sockets. He saw the enemy he was called forth to destroy, and opened his mouth. A single grasshopper-like insect came out of it, then 2, then 5, then 20, an entire swarm of locusts spew forth from the Angel's opened mouth. So big was the cloud of insects that even the incredibly massive body of the Dragon Lord was overshadowed.

"What disgusting-...out of my way, filthy insects!"

Each locust is a Level 1 Monster, however, [Disaster of Abaddon's Locust] was one of the most infamous Spells in YGGDRASIL for 2 reasons: For starters, as long as Abaddon isn't destroyed or disturbed, he will continue to spit locusts without limit unless the summoner orders him to stop, and secondly, the Level 1 locusts have a passive Skill (or penalty, depending of who you ask) called [Bottomless Belly] that compells them to eat, eat, eat, eat, and keep eating until somebody destroys them or, again, until the summoner orders them to stop.

Even if Level 100 beings can't be immediately defeated by such thing, being overwhelmed by a legion of starving insects is nothing less than traumatizing for some people. Many wicked Players used it for the shock value, since the locusts themselves are incredibly grotesque and far uglier than real-life insects. Also, a proper Skill the Level 1 Monsters do have is [Acid Spit] that gives them corrosive saliva to melt away the materials they can't chew, so if given enough time and numbers, the swarm of locusts can destroy even Divine-class gear.

Truly, a very evil Super-Tier Spell.

However, the Spell is more scary than dangerous. Abaddon is a Level 95 Monster, any good placed attack from a Level 100 can interrupt the swarm. The reason Meitro used this Spell is because his specific build and gear gives enormous passive buffs to any demonic entity he summons, plus he can summon higher-leveled Monsters to enhance Summoning Spells that are meant to be quantity instead of quality like the one he just used, as a result the Level 1 locusts he called forth are far, far deadlier than their Level suggests. That way, Meitro has both numbers AND power by his side, as long as his summons are Demons or demonic beings, that is.

The swarm was slowly but surely ravishing the meat shield, the fact that they are eating putrid Undead flesh doesn't seems to bother them. The humanoids, the beasts, the Dragons, the Giants, all the Undead composing the Zombie armor were nothing to the endless army of insects enhanced by Meitro and the Locust Lord who, for some reason, wasn't directly attacking the meat shield. Letting a Level 90 Monster just stand by is usually considered a huge waste, but Meitro has his reasons.

The Dragon Lord was flailing with all his might, but it was useless, for every single locust he destroyed, a hundred more took its place. Meitro took this opportunity to prepare himself for the endgame, so he begun to buff himself as much as he could.

"[Breath Ward]. [Dragonbane]. [Curse of Warlock]. [Infinity Wall]. [Life Essence]. [Mana Essence]. [Greater Full Potential]. [Freedom]. [See Through]. [Paranormal Intuition]. [Greater Resistance]. [Mantle of Chaos]. [Indomitability]. [Sensor Boost]. [Greater Luck]. [Magic Boost]. [Draconic Power]. [Underlord Awakening]. [Greater Hardening]. [Hellish Aura]. [Absorption]. [Penetrate Up]. [Resistance From Natural Weapons]. [Greater Magic Shield]."

The buffs on the summoner also indirectly buff the summons, so each of the insects eating away the Undead armor got stronger by the second. Cure Elim got fed up of the locusts, so he ignored the insects and instead targeted their summoner, but his attack was blocked by the Locust Lord's [V-Cross Sword] Skill that chopped away the Zombie-made limb. With the insects eating away his opponent and the Locust Lord protecting him, Meitro could just stay afloat and watch Cure Elim die. However.

"I could just remain here you know! Let my summons eat you! But that would be boring, and I wouldn't watch you die with my own eyes, so I will give you a chance! Assuming you survive the following attack, that is!"

Meitro shouted his message since his opponent was enveloped in noisy locusts, Dragons are supposed to have enhanced senses but he wanted to make sure the idiot of Cure Elim listened clearly.

"Lord Abaddon, time to end this."

At those words, the Angel closed his mouth and lifted his right arm, lightning fell from the red skies and took the shape of a lance on his hand, a lance that Abaddon hurled towards his locust swarm with great force. Another Skill/penalty the locusts have is [Combustion], but it isn't as simple as just throwing a fire or electric Spell towards them in order to make them blow up, only the lightning lance of Abaddon can do such thing since the whole purpose of the Super-Tier Spell would be moot if the opposition can just throw [Fireball] or [Lightning] to destroy the entire swarm.

Meitro didn't knew how many locusts there were, a billion? A trillion? He didn't knew, he just knew that the resulting simultaneous explosion of all the insects was both blinding and deafening. This explosion isn't normally supposed to be so strong, but because of Meitro's build and Equipment, each and every single one of those locusts was far stronger than normal, so even if Abaddon himself wasn't enhanced by his passive buffs (since he's an Angel) those demonic insects had their [Combustion] pushed beyond their limit.

So big was the blast that the surrounding mountain top was also annihilated, the Super-Tier Spell literally reshaped the battlefield.

Since he was no longer needed, the angelic Lord of Destruction returned to the Abyss, and with him the red skies and the strong winds also disappeared. Left behind was the Demon Summoner (who activated a timer in his watch) and, with all the Zombies meant to protect him now totally destroyed without a trace, the now exposed true form of Cure Elim. The mass of Undead creatures seem to have been made in imitation of the Dragon Lord's body, they looked very similar, but his true form was very graceful in comparison. It was an Undead Dragon after all, with a body like a feline predator, whose legs and neck were both very long.

"Look how little you really are, Dragon Lord. What a weak appearance you have."

Meitro was just insulting him, he had every intention of returning every offense he received from the idiot Dragon.

"...so you were the filth of the Dragon Emperor. That Spell...that powerful panoply...I would never forget it..."

His voice echoed with heartfelt hatred. Cure Elim was VERY angry, something that made Meitro very glad. He didn't knew what the idiot Dragon meant by "filth of the Dragon Emperor" but if he can use that to piss his opponent off, then the better.

"Oh, only now you realise that I'm such being? You really are an idiot. Your name isn't Cure Elim, your name is Joke Elim, you hear? That's who you are! Hahahahaha!"

"You dare mock me!? You filth! I will make you regret the day you were spawned from whatever cradle of muck you came from!"

Meitro could've just left [Disaster of Abaddon's Locust] destroy Cure Elim, why didn't he? Spite. That's why. He wants to let the idiot Dragon know that he could've destroyed him but didn't, that he purposely gave him a chance to fight against this "filth" and should thank him for it!

"So here's the deal, Joke Elim. Prostrate yourself to me, and beg for my forgiveness. Do that, and your death will be quick."

The cockyness coming out of Meitro was just out of this world. His friends would be cringing, if they saw him like this. His former comrades of UnderKings would be cheering him, though.

"FIIIIIIIIILTH! You will be begging for MY forgiveness! Don't look down on me!"

The Dragon Lord jumped towards him like a tiger towards its prey, but Meitro simply used [Teleportation] to get out of the way and move behind the Dragon's exposed back.

"[Triplet Maximize Magic - Reality Slash]"

The 3 dimensional blades pierced the now exposed body of Cure Elim, and the Locust Lord was attacking too. It's true that the Dragon Lord used the [World-Warping Wall] at the start of this fight, but that Wild Magic Spell simply interfered with teleportation through it. Teleportation was still possible as long as the start and end points were both inside the barrier. Of course, Meitro had no way of knowing this, but he hasn't forgotten about the weird membrane that covers the battlefield, he's still pondering what its possible effects could be. He just reached the conclusion that it doesn't interfere with his teleportation, which is half-true. He won't realize its true effects unless he tries to teleport very, very far away, but he won't, he will not leave until he hears the idiot Dragon wail in despair.

Cure Elim swinged his tail to strike, but Meitro once again teleported away from his range. The Dragon Lord can't believe how useless his own Spell is, he shouldn't be feeling envy of the Dragon Emperor's filth, but if he could cast that twisted Spell [Dimensional Lock] then the filth wouldn't have the ability to avoid his attacks.

"[Summon Demon 10th Tier]"

Meitro once again called forth a Level 90 Monster, this time an Evil Lord Wrath. Normally this Monster would be in the Level 80 range, but being able to call forth a Level 90 one is another thing he can thank his build for. And he also used one of his limited daily use Skills to bring forth a Level 95 Asmodeus Avatar, a demonic Mystic Warrior that is terrifying at both close-range and long-range combat. Alongside the Locust Lord, these 3 Monsters cover the land, the air, and the space in-between to prevent the idiot Dragon from escaping, and just to be sure:

"[Dimensional Lock]"

Meitro had this ability in Skill form, since there's a limited amount of Spells a Level 100 Mage can learn he never bothered to use a Spell slot for [Dimensional Lock] since he obtained it as a Racial Skill either way.

The Evil Lord Wrath was furiously punching the Dragon Lord with his flaming fists, the Locust Lord was swiftly cutting away his body with natural bladed weapons, and the Asmodeus Avatar was sadistically laughing while launching Spells and striking Cure Elim with his magic weapons. The Dragon Lord attempted to attack but his enemies were too fast, and when he did land a hit the Monsters just tanked it, their SPD and DEF stats were naturally very high, and their summoner enhanced such agility and durability even further.

"You can't escape now, Joke Elim. Now the only thing that can save you is an oath of servitude to me. Become my pet, and you will live as my slave!"

Meitro was, at the end, an evil role-player back in YGGDRASIL. He wasn't above bullying losers just like he's doing right now, but he didn't knew yet that it is far too soon for him to be mocking the Dragon Lord.

"You damned filth! You and your kind polluting this world, to even consider the possibility that I would surrender to a disgusting filth like you! Don't look down on me!"

In his rage, Cure Elim did something that Meitro couldn't predict, something that immediately made him forget his arrogant tone and returned him to his serious PK mode.

"[Widen Magic - Undead Flame]!"

Meitro's eyes opened wide. The Dragon's body was now wreathed in life-draining black fire, and if that wasn't enough the meta magic enhancement made such black fire expand outwards like an explosion of tremendous Negative Energy.

"What!? You can use Tier Magic!"

The Negative Energy wave stroke Meitro and his 3 summons. The fires in Evil Lord Wrath's fists weakened, and his punches slowed down, the movements of the Locust Lord became sluggish, and had a hard time remaining afloat, even the Asmodeus Avatar was getting notably weak. Meitro for his part wasn't in such a bad condition himself since his gear gives him a degree of protection from such things, but it seems that a portion of that Negative Energy bypassed his defenses since he started to feel dizzy, and very sick.

_'I need to get away from this idiot Dragon, make distance.'_

Meitro turned away and flew further from the Dragon as fast as he could, a simple action that took a considerable amount of effort, and when he felt himself far enough he deactivated his flight Spell (since sustaining it was giving him a painful headache) and fell to the ground with a tud. He was a Level 100 being, yet something as simple as a fall made him feel lots of pain, and he could feel his health constantly depleting too. There's no mistaking it, he was cursed by Cure Elim's Negative Energy.

_'To think a mere 3rd Tier Spell would reduce me to this, even after I buffed myself so much. That idiot Dragon, just what the hell is he!?'_

He could feel his summoned Demons struggling against the Dragon Lord, so he took this chance to take out a green-colored Potion from his inventory. This was a [Full Restore] that recovered all his lost HP and removed any status ailments, the ultimate medicine of YGGDRASIL. He immediately felt much better after drinking it, and prepared himself to fight seriously again since it seemed the idiot Dragon was getting serious too.

"[Triplet Magic - Undying Flame]!"

Cure Elim's hooked claws and fangs blazed with bluish-white flames, this was a 5th Tier Spell that added negative energy and fire damage to the user's weapons. The Locust Lord was now so sluggish that the Dragon easily caught it with his flaming mouth, crushed it with great force, and spit it out. Meitro felt his mental link with the Locust Lord break.

_'That was a Level 90 Monster. You're not half-bad, idiot Dragon.'_

Meitro took a glance at his watch, the time still wasn't up, he couldn't use another Super-Tier Spell yet. Perhaps ending his previous Spell was a mistake? No. Had the locusts continued their attack, then the idiot Dragon would've used the same Negative Energy wave he used now to destroy the insects as well as cripple the Angel of Destruction, and he would've lost his chance to destroy his meat shield with the explosion, leaving Cure Elim with a good amount of Zombies left. Combusting the locusts was the right choice. So it seems that he had no other choice at the moment, he had to use it, his trump card.

"[Skill - Divina Comedia: Inferno]!"

This was a Skill he got when he maxed out his Job Class [Lord of the Abyss], its the unholy counterpart of [Divina Comedia: Paradiso], and also of [Divina Comedia: Purgatorio] to some degree. It has a 60 hours cooldown, so if he wants to defeat the idiot Dragon he has to make sure that this Skills does the job, or at the very least leaves the Dragon in a weakened state so he can finish him with his own hands later on. His HP should be low enough, the combustion of the locusts must've left a number on him, and the combined attacks of his Demons alongside his own Spells should've reduced his health by a considerable margin.

He spread his arms and a black cover book materialized in front of Meitro to open itself in front of him, the inscription was in ancient Latin, but the user doesn't needs to know that dead tongue, he just needs to read what is written aloud.

Cure Elim for his part was taking care of the other 2 nuisances, Evil Lord Wrath was so weakened that a simple stomp from his leg was enough to destroy it, even the Asmodeus Avatar was defeated by a couple of tail swipes. Now, only the filth was left. If Cure Elim were more immature, say, some centuries younger, then he wouldn't be using such filthy Spells right now, he would have to exhaust all his Souls and be dragged to a corner if he were to resort to the use of Tier Magic. He still detests such dirty magic of course, but he realizes that being pushed away by the Dragon Emperor's filth is far more disgraceful than using the same magic that wiped out his own kind.

If anything, destroying the filth with their own filthy magic is a fitting punishment, Cure Elim felt.

"Now, where were we? Oh yes, you were saying something about begging forgiveness? I would normally advice you to kneel and swear to be my jester, but I have no intention of sparing your kind, you world polluter."

Cure Elim was slowly walking towards Meitro, with his massive body covered in black flames, and the ghostly flames surrounding his natural weapons, now it was the Dragon Lord the one that looked like a true Spawn of Hell. But Meitro wasn't scared, he finished to read the inscription written in the grimoire in front of him, he was ready.

The skies changed color yet again, now they were a mixture of red and black. The floating grimoire flipped its page, and 9 verses were written in Latin.

Meitro spoke the first verse.

"Custos est Limbo."

At those words, yet another Dark Angel made itself manifest. On his back there were 6 black feathered wings, on his right hand a highly decorated bone scythe, on his left hand a scroll with the ultimate fate of all mortals written in it, and his body was covered in a darker-than-black robe that covered even his head too. This was Azrael, the Angel of Death. He hurled himself towards the Dragon Lord who attempted to stop his advance with a swift tail swipe, but the Death Angel simply parried the attack with his scythe and closed the distance completely.

"What!?"

It seems Cure Elim couldn't believe it, pehaps he expected the Angel to be engulfed by the black life-draining fire, just like the previous Monsters were. But little did he knew that Azrael is the heavenly messenger of the dead, even Overlords don't hold as much dominion over death as the Dark Angel does.

Azrael penetrated himself into Cure Elim's chest, his body disappeared inside the Dragon's, but there was no wound. He was paralyzed however, Undead should be immune to status effects like paralysis, but again, even the mightiest Undead bend their knees to the will of Azrael. Even the black fire engulfing his body and the ghostly flames enveloping his fangs and claws dissipated. The Angel exited his body from the other side, in the tip of his scythe there was a spectral, oversized heart still attached to several spectral arteries that lead to the back of Cure Elim's chest. The Dragon was still paralyzed, he doesn't knows what's going on, Meitro can tell by looking at his face.

_'This guy, he never fought against someone stronger than him? No wonder he's a wuss.'_

Meitro spoke the second verse.

"Custos est Luxuria."

At those words, a female Demon made itself manifest. She had purple skin, black silky hair, yellow eyes, and 4 curved horns on her head. She had no wings, but did have a long and slender tail that ended in a pointy barb. Her body was decorated with a luxurious crimson dress, gold rings on her fingers, and earrings on her pointy ears. Her name was Lilith, the Lady of Lust.

The She-Devil sprinted towards the paralyzed Cure Elim and buried her long pointy claws as well as the barb on her tail in his large Dragon chest. Corroding poison begun to circulate inside Cure Elim's body, it took a while considering the size but his entire body was eventually infected with the Demoness' poison, and the Dragon Lord's health begun to slowly dwindle. Cure Elim's expression was mixed with piercing pain and agonizing confusion, first paralyzed and now poisoned, he's an Undead, that's impossible! He shouldn't be affected by status ailments of any sort, nor feel the deep pain he's experiencing right now. Of course, this is Azrael's doing, he's literally holding Cure Elim's heart in his scythe, Meitro's trump card starts with him because this powerful Skill wouldn't work in Undead enemies otherwise.

Only Bosses are immune to this Skill, so any Player, NPC, and Monster would fall victim to [Divina Comedia: Inferno] regardless of Level. Meitro himself wasn't sure if the idiot Dragon would be called a "Boss" in this world, but it seems his worries were for naught.

Truth be told, this Skill is only a trump card if Azrael successfully strikes the first hit. If his enemy finds a way to counter, parry, or simply dodge the Death Angel then the Skill will fail, but the 60 hours cooldown will still apply. That's why Meitro only used it if he has allies on his side to immobilize the target, or he's facing a big but slow Monster. Also, if his enemy has allies of its own that can disrupt the attack flow, like causing huge damage to Meitro, then the Skill would also be cancelled as well. Hence, the Demon Summoner rarely used his trump card back in YGGDRASIL.

In any case, his enemy was unable to move and his HP was being sapped away, time to chip away his health even faster.

Meitro spoke the third verse.

"Custos est Gluttire."

At those words, a grotesque anthropomorphic black gnat made itself manifest. It was bipedal, it stand on 2 legs while the remaining 4 limbs were its arms, it had a pair of membrane wings on its back and the head of a fly. This is Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies and Master of Gluttony. It flew towards the Dragon's head at great speeds, landed on his head, and inserted its monstrous mandibles on his skull. Meitro could swear that he heard Cure Elim make a silent wail of pain, but the paralysis prevents the Dragon from even screaming.

Beelzebub begun to swole, while Cure Elim's HP plummeted even faster, the Demon Bug is literally drinking away the Dragon's health. Just like the locusts, Beelzebub also has [Bottomless Belly] so he will continue to suck away until the target is dead. Meitro smiled, this is going flawlessly, at this rate the idiot Dragon will be dead, but the poison and HP drain will take a very long time to kill Cure Elim by itself, and he has to look for his friends, so he better calls the remaining Guardians of Hell to finish this soon.

Meitro spoke the fourth verse.

"Custos est Avaritia."

At those words, a very aged Devil made itself manifest. Fiends are immortal so they don't become old, yet that's exactly how this Devil looked like, with a wrinkled face, long grey beard, 4 leather wings on his back, and his wrinkled hands sported long and pointy nails. He was covered in a coat showing off an excessive amount of jewelry and on his hand was a walking cane that also looked like a staff. This was Mammon, the Lord of Greed.

Mammon took to the skies and spread his arms, the earth shook, and then the minerals, ores, and other metals that mortals would call "wealth" sprang forth from the ground like bullets, forming a huge vortex of precious stones that was ripping away Cure Elim's flesh like a hail storm. His HP was dropping even faster, but the idiot Dragon's health bar is HUGE. Even with this, it will still take a considerable amount of time to see Cure Elim dead, so he accelerated his Skill.

Meitro spoke the fifth and sixth verses.

"Custos est Ira."

"Custos est Haeresis."

At those words, a Golem and an Undead made themselves manifest. The Golem was a huge, bulky monster made of stone with a crack of magma running through his body like a volcano, his head sported buffalo horns and a spiky crown melted on his head. This was Phlegyas, the Prince of Anger.

The Undead resembled an emaciated Half-Lich, had pitch-black eyes, and was dressed in ripped Bishop clothes, as well as a staff adorned with a goat skull. This being was simply known as the Nameless Pagan Priest, the Preacher of Heresy.

Phlegyas buried his fists into the ground, and with a powerful rageful roar he injected tremendous amounts of fire into the earth. Said fire melted the earth beneath Cure Elim before erupting in a raging pillar of lava, scorching the Dragon's flesh. The Nameless Pagan Priest grabbed his staff with both hands, spew blasphemous words that nobody should hear, and a circular stone coffin formed around the Dragon, a coffin that ignited in ghostly orange fire, adding another layer of flames to burn Cure Elim's flesh.

"What a fitting view! You are the Elder 'Coffin' Dragon Lord after all, aren't you, Joke Elim!? Hahahaha!"

Cure Elim for his part couldn't speak, the Guardians of Hell are unable to hurt each other so Azrael was still holding the oversized heart on his scythe, the idiot Dragon couldn't answer with an insult of his own. However, Meitro could see a shadow of deep and pure hatred reflected on the paralyzed Dragon's face, something that made his sadistic side very glad.

He wanted to inflict even more pain to the idiot Dragon, but he had to end this. Even with all this Cure Elim still had nearly half of his HP left, what a monster! So he will call 2 Guardians of Hell simultaneously again.

Meitro spoke the seventh and eighth verses.

"Custos est Violentia."

"Custos est Dolus."

At those words, a deformed Human Warrior and a winged Marilith Demoness made themselves manifest. The Human had chunks of flesh stripped from his body, you could see glimpses of his bones. He was covered in sword wounds everywhere, and what remains of his face was a mix of agony and rage. His armor was broken and rusted, just like his weapons which were a sword in one hand and a halberd in the other. This was the Cursed Crusader, Soldier of Violence.

The Marilith was reptilian-looking, with yellow slit eyes, scales all over her body, and had leather wings too. In each of her 6 arms she held a magic crystal containing illusion Spells. Her name is Malaconda, Mistress of Fraud.

The Cursed Crusader let out a painful wail before igniting his weapons in blood-red fire, lunging himself towards the Dragon Lord and unleashing a neverending barrage of blind attacks. Even the Evil Lord Wrath has nothing on the rage of this damned soldier. Malaconda for her part was activating the magic sealed on her circular crystals, and the eyes of Cure Elim begun to shine in a weird pinkish light.

Malaconda's role in this series of attacks was an odd one, she simply used illusion Spells to "mentally torture" the enemy. She did inflict an irresistible confusion ailment, but that was her sole contribution on this Skill. Meitro felt that it was a waste to call her, but he can't skip the verses of [Divina Comdia: Inferno] so he must call her even if he doesn't wants to.

However, that was back in YGGDRASIL. Meitro had no way of knowing that the supposed "mental torture" Malaconda was inflicting on the Dragon Lord was in fact real torture now. More than just inflicting confusion, the Mistress of Fraud was subjecting Cure Elim to the greatest of horrors, since at its very core "fraud" is betrayal, the deception of trust, the Elder Coffin Dragon Lord was seeing before his very eyes the spectral shadows of his past failures. His greatest shames.

Cure Elim saw his past comrades being slaughtered one-by-one. He heard his former masters call him coward while expelling their last breaths. He saw those accursed pieces of filth mocking his mighty Race with their insufferable laughs, all 8 of them. But above all he saw himself, his younger self, running away, fleeing, tears coming out of his eyes while the polluters of this world just flew above him, pointing their fingers towards him while saying how weak he was, not even worth pursuing, not even worth killing.

But Malaconda had one last thing in store for him, all the spectres of the Dragons slain by the world polluters (all the ones Cure Elim knew at least) came into his view, all of them were staring at him. Their judging eyes really brought pain to Cure Elim, but what all those specters shouted in unison is what made him hurt the absolute most:

"YOU LEFT US TO DIE!"

Never, never has the Dragon Lord experienced this much agony. Poisoned, burned, ravaged, other physical torments he can't even name, and such psychological torture on top!

His enemy still wasn't done with him however, just one more Guardian of Hell and this battle will be over.

Meitro spoke the ninth and last verse.

"Custos est Perfidia."

At those words, the upper body of a giant Fiend made itself manifest. It was heavily muscular, had no wings, each hand had 6 fingers, there was a trident made of volcanic rock on his right hand, and his head was divided in 3 faces, each face sprouting 2 horns for a total of 6 horns. This was the Lord of Muspelheim, Father of Treachery.

"I wanted to hear you cry, Joke Elim. But no matter, you don't even deserve my continued attention, worthless scum. I bet I won't even remember you by the time I return to my friends."

He was just being mean again, he does intend to tell his friends about this thing when they reunite. Part of him feared that perhaps that bastard also teleported his friends off to the other Dragons of this stupid Alliance, but he calmed down again after remembering that he was actually the weakest of the 5 when it comes to combat.

If the other Dragons are like the one in front of him that is about to get totally wrecked, then his friends' victories are certain. So difficult was for Momonga to do this? Meitro couldn't understand why that skeleton couldn't simply send his NPC or those broken beings from the last Floor of Nazarick to beat these oversized lizards.

None of that matters for now, he just needs to order the final attack, and all will be over. He may have all that HP left, but the final strike of this Skill is cataclysmically powerful, even if Cure Elim does survive somehow, he will be left in a pathetic and emaciated state. The Lord of Muspelheim electrified his trident in black lightning to finally put an end this fight.

But the Dragon Lord still couldn't accept this.

Why? Cure Elim thought in the depths of his chaotic mind. Why had he been driven to such desperate circumstances despite his immaculate planning? The Dragon Emperor's filth...why had he, the most self-sacrificing of the 6 Dragons that had prepared to annihilate the masterminds who had polluted this world, been forced into a situation like this?

The answer was very simple. Cure Elim knew that foes of his level existed, but he had never fought them.

In the past, he had indeed avoided entities on the same level as the filth in front of him. That was not because he was weak, but because his intelligence had told him that they could not be beaten.

It was because he was smart that Cure Elim had lost the chance to understand and learn. The importance of prior preparation, the right way of using power, the importance of swallowing one's pride and working with others. He had not understood any of that.

The Dragon Emperor's filth and the True Dragon Lords. Those were the differences between those mighty beings.

Another crucial difference is the masterful use of weaponry. The accursed lot that massacred his Race had gear unlike anything Cure Elim saw before, crafted abominations that could easily crush, cut, and burn Dragon flesh.

Ironic, considering how Dragonkind always sustained, and still does, that weapons and armor are only for the weak. But if those who slain the entire apex Race of the New World used such things to do so, doesn't that mean that Dragons are the weak ones for not using weapons?

In any case, Dragon Lords like him have no need for such things, since they all possess a certain mighty power. In Cure Elim's case, he had been honing that power, preparing to deal with Players.

Wild Magic.

The Wild Magic that Cure Elim could use was considered the most vicious of all the Spells that the True Dragon Lords could cast.

Naturally, it required a massive price to be paid, but the creatures that the filth summoned were beings capable of destroying him, Cure Elim could sense that. Even more so, the enormous Fiend called forth just now was an existence far more powerful than him, Cure Elim never felt such intimidating presence since the Dragon Emperor! That giant Demon might even be on par with that invincible monster that created the Dragon Lord Alliance!

How could mere filth call forth such monster? His only choice now was to cast his Spell, and fueled by the unfathomable rage brought forth by Malaconda's visions and the filth's constant insults, Cure Elim somehow opened his mouth despite the paralysis inflicted by Azrael.

In the same manner as a serpent would swallow its prey, his mouth gradually split open until the fissure reached his long neck. The split portion hung down, as though to make a gigantic maw several dozen meters wide in order to devour everything, and then it spewed forth from that massive mouth.

[Soulbreaker]

It was a Wild Magic Spell considered to be on par with the World-class Item [Longinus]. It was an irresistible power that would discorporate the Soul of anything it touched, an utterly malignant power that consumed everything present.

Meitro could see something black in the idiot Dragon's mouth, something that sent a shiver down the spine of even a high-level Demon like him. It was something so overwhelming that his biological instincts were responding to it.

Even more so, how could he move? The Angel of Death was still holding his heart on the scythe, he shouldn't be able to move an inch. That power was too dangerous, too dreadful. Faced with this breath that far eclipsed his own power, Meitro lost his cool and shouted.

"Lord of Muspelheim, attack now!"

There was nothing wrong with that order. However, it had come too late. As the Father of Treachery prepared his lightning attack, Cure Elim expelled something that looked like a massively thick beam of black light that consumed the Lord of Muspelheim, leaving nothing behind. Meitro felt his mental connection with the Lord of Muspelheim break, he really was destroyed completely.

The Father of Treachery was no ordinary being, how did the idiot Dragon one-shot him!? Instant Death? No, each of the Lords of the Nine Realms are immune to such thing. Granted, Meitro didn't summoned the literal Lord of Muspelheim that acted as a Boss in YGGDRASIL, but the Avatar he did call forth should be close enough.

So what is it? As he pondered that, Cure Elim painfully twisted his neck and targeted the remaining Guardians of Hell, systematically erasing all his assailants until none were left.

Meitro was distraught, he racketed his brain as much as he could, but at the end only 1 thing came to mind. An Item that those bastards of Seraphim used to have for a while, an Item that they attached to a disposable NPC to permanently eliminate one of the founding members of his Guild back during one of the uncountable Guild Wars between the Angels and Demons.

"It can't be...[Longinus]...!?"

Cure Elim twisted his serpentine neck 180 degrees to destroy the Angel of Death behind him, and then used a tailswipe aimed to his head to crush Beelzebub, who also erased with his breath when it fell, freeing him from all his tormentors at last, and the black tome used to summon them disintegrated. With only Meitro left, the beam was eventually directed towards him, no time to escape, if he teleports the beam will just follow, he has to stop it, but how?

If only he had [Time Stop]. There was a time when he did have that 10th Tier Spell, but it quickly became a useless one since virtually everyone in the game acquired countermeasures against it, so he and many other Mages discarded it in favor for a more useful 10th Tier Spell.

Among his chaotic thoughts however, Meitro found the answer. He's no noob, he's one of the founding members of one of the Three Great Heteromorph Guilds, there's no way something like this would make him lose all hope.

"Don't underestimate me! You idiot Dragon!"

He said as the breath attack swallowed him up. The beam of darkness racing out at him had no obvious destructive power, or pressure, to it. Yet, it was a fatal blow.

With all the interfering nuisances destroyed, Cure Elim begun to analyse his ravaged body, which was almost unrecognizable. Perhaps if he were alive, not taking care of his countless wounds might permanently cripple him, or slowly kill him, but such negative status effect meant nothing to the Undead. In addition, pain was not a scary thing to the Undead. This was one of the 3 reasons why Cure Elim, who had once been a coward, had chosen to become Undead.

Then...

Cure Elim glared hatefully in front of himself with his crimson eyes, his draconic senses spoke to him. The one who had polluted the world was still there, the Magic Caster who had driven Cure Elim to his wit's end stood calmly in front of him. On his hand he was holding something resembling a demonic trumpet, the instrument itself was copper, but it was decorated with vein-like lines all over it, plus a few bone spikes here and there.

An instant before being swallowed up, Meitro took out [Herald of Maggedo] from his Item Box. He had no need to use it of course, he simply had to hold it for the protection of WORLD to envelop him.

"That really was [Longinus] after all, huh. You, Joke Elim, how come you can use that?"

The Dragon Lord for his part was too dumbfounded to answer that insult. What did the filth do? He saw him teleport before, but his senses didn't warned him of any sudden movements that the filth did, and he has no reason to doubt his senses. If not teleportation, then there was only one other way to stop the attack.

"Wild Magic..."

Cure Elim's heavily wounded face twisted on utter hatred. The fact that it was Undead was the only reason he could control his powerful emotions. However, the raging passions inside him could not accept that fact. He flared up, called down, and then flared up over and over again.

"Destroy you, filth. Not even your bones will remain..."

"You won't tell me? Well, no matter. Not like a worthless pile of putrid flesh like you would be honest anyways."

Meitro with his insults again. Little does he knows that the fact that he can resist the trump card of Cure Elim is far, far more insulting to the Dragon than his verbal offenses will ever be.

"Well, we're already here. I assume that was your ace up your sleeve, no? Shame, and here I was thinking your kind was half-strong."

He was giving careless steps, playfully flailing the demonic trumpet around. An obvious act of arrogance of course, one that was successfully irritating the idiot Dragon more and more. Meitro took a quick glance at his watch, then spoke nonchalantly.

"You should thank me, idiot Dragon, I'm in a forgiving mood, so I will give you this chance again. Kneel down and become my slave, that way you will live. I won't give you this chance again, so if you can't even understand that this is your only chance to prolong your useless existence, then you don't even have the necessary intelligence to be a slave."

A mocking smug was painted all over his demonic face.

"YOU BASTAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRD!"

Cure Elim held to his rage. Him, a rightful king of this world, reduced to a slave of filth!? He broke into a sprint, he will crush the filth with his own claws and fangs, he's a Dragon after all, one of the mightiest beings in this world, if his magic is useless then he will use his overwhelming strength to destroy his enemy. This Dragon still hasn't learned his lesson yet, something that his hated enemy immediately pointed out.

"I destroyed your stupid Zombie armor. I ravaged your putrid Undead body. I tanked your trump card. You have yet to put a single scratch on me. And you still insist to fight? How. Stupid. Are. You?"

Cure Elim however still refuses to give up. There IS a way to hurt the filth, he remembers between all that maddening rage clouding his mind how the filth flew away from him when he used that filthy magic. A magic he used again.

"[Widen Magic - Undead Flame]! [Triplet Magic - Undying Flame]!"

He even used Wild Magic to enhance his body beyond its natural limits. Since his trump card is useless, he will instead use his Souls to augment his physical attacks to make sure he destroys the filth. Nothing in existence can surpass a Dragon Lord enhanced by the most powerful Wild Magic, Cure Elim was certain!

Meitro however saw this coming, and casted a Spell of his own into himself.

"[Undead Form]"

As an advanced version of [Mind of Undeath] this Spell could briefly grant its target various properties of the Undead, both beneficial and baneful. One of the benefits was immunity from negative status ailments, meaning that the first Spell Cure Elim used is now useless, only the ghostly fire could potentially do some damage, since even though Meitro is immune to fire damage thanks to his Racial Classes he has a feeling that this Dragon doesn't plays by common YGGDRASIL rules, but he already has that covered.

He activated a Skill.

"[Infernus Mantellum]"

He can't use other Racial Skills while this one is active, but he can use Job Skills and Spells just fine. With this, he no longer has to worry about [Undying Flame]. But just to be sure, he added a Spell more.

"[Body of Effulgent Aquamarine]"

This 10th Tier Spell reduced the effectiveness of piercing attacks like the fangs and claws of monsters, and can even negate a single piercing attack completely.

Cure Elim closed the distance and crushed Meitro between his jaws, but predictably, the Dragon's mouth flared up in hellfire, forcing the Dragon to spit him less he risks his entire body to burn. Meitro for his part was unharmed, it seems his 10th Tier Spell kicked in and negated the damage he would've received.

He used [Life Essence] to check the current HP of his enemy, and even after everything that has happened Cure Elim still had little less than one third of his full health. What an annoying pest, this idiot Dragon. Meitro checked his watch again, some minutes were remaining it seems, so if he can hold out for a bit longer then he will be able to cast another Super-Tier Spell to end this once and for all.

"[Triplet Maximize Magic - Reality Slash]"

He begun to spam the most powerful Spell he had, all while teleporting away from any strike that seemed too dangerous to receive. Since Super-Tier Spells require no MP, he has no need to save mana for the final attack, and if he can reduce the Dragon's HP to make himself sure his last Spell does the job, then better.

"This day...all my efforts to this day! To think! To think!"

Cure Elim's mind was in shambles, he couldn't find a way to turn this situation around. His Wild Magic, his filthy Tier Magic, his strength as a Dragon, everything was useless! He even begun to consider retreat, there was no point in him dying today. He can escape, amass even more Souls, and perhaps...perhaps request the aid of his comrades of the Alliance. If all Dragon Lords join forces, then even the filth would be easily destroyed.

However, is he really going to run again? After depleting his collected Souls, using his most powerful Wild Magic Spell, and having nothing to show for it? Will he let it end like this? Of course not! Cure Elim had already bade his weak self farewell. He was no longer that feeble Dragon, always hiding behind his seniors even before the Dragon Emperor summoned the polluters of this world.

He swore to annihilate his enemy, here and now.

"[Maximize Magic - Dragon Lightning]!"

Meitro barely teleported away from such oversized attack, he clearly didn't expected that. He did knew that the idiot Dragon could use Tier Magic of the 5th Tier, but so far he had only been using Necromantic Spells. It's the first time that he used an Elemental Spell in this fight, and if he can shoot out lightning, then what else can it shoot?

"Stop running away you coward! [Maximize Magic - Hold of Rib]!"

Necromantic Spell again, this time massive ribs erupted from the ground and closed in on Meitro like a bear trap. The sharp points of white bone bit deeply into his body, but this was nothing to [Infernus Mantellum] which quickly melted away such low-level bones.

"You're full of surprises Joke Elim, what else can you do?"

Meitro's relaxed attitude, again, was infuriating Cure Elim more and more. The filth was clearly mocking his determination to avenge his brethen.

"Why won't you die!? Worthless filth! You come here to pollute our world! You kill us, the rightful masters of everything! You give your filthy magic to the slave Races that are only meant to serve us Dragons! And now you come here to make a fool of me! Just die! FIIIIIIIIIIIIILTH!"

Meitro's face was blank for a moment, then it was he the one who flared up in a rage.

"Me...? ME!? I don't know you! What did I did to YOU!? NOTHING! I never saw you before today! And yet you point your damned teeth at me! Spit all that Souls bullshit I know nothing about! Attack me for no reason! Call me 'filth'! Well guess what, I've had it of this! I'm sick of you! You're gonna die here you hear! That's your punishment for being such an annoying pest to me, Meitro of UnderKings!"

The filth's name was Meitro, but Cure Elim didn't care about such thing, if anything his deformed face knotted up. If his opponent had been an equal, then the name would've been worth remembering. However, simply keeping the names (even a fragment) of those excrescences in his mind made him want to throw up.

"You? Punishing me!? Don't make yourself more important than what you are, you world polluting fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilth!"

His anger became a mighty roar, the explosion of wrath seemed to shake the very earth. However, at that moment the device attached to the Demon's wrist made a beeping noise, followed by a satisfactory smile being drawn over Meitro's face. Such smile made Cure Elim extremely wary, what does that expression mean?

"Eh, seems I will be making this world a big favor, getting rid of a stubborn and worthless pest like you, Joke Elim."

Meitro returned his World-class Item to his inventory and instead took out an hourglass. Then, the same gigantic magic circles that appeared some time ago reappeared again around him.

It was that Spell again! Cure Elim couldn't allow such thing, he knows he will be destroyed if the filth uses such magic again, so he has to act now! He returned that strange Item to wherever it was that pocket space, the Item that appeared when he tanked [Soulbreaker]. Meaning, it was most likely that thing what protected him from his Wild Magic, so now the filth is exposed!

Cure Elim can't be certain of course, but he had to trust his gut, this is his only chance left, and he still has enough Souls to fire one more time. However, considering the dwindled amount of Souls he has left and his own lack of vitality, the Spell will take a long time to charge, but still, he has to try.

As darkness begun to slowly form in the trembling Dragon's mouth, Meitro insulted his enemy one more time.

"And I'm the one that refuses to die? What a pitiful sight, Joke Elim! So desperate you are? Fine then, try to kill me with that, I don't care! I just need to crush this thing and you're dead! As easy as that! That's how weak you are! I could prolong your torture but I don't care anymore! Fuck your Souls! Fuck your accursed group of 8! Fuck your Dragon Emperor! Fuck your pieces of filth! And FUCK. YOU!"

The hourglass was crushed, and [Fallen Down] was immediately cast. [Soulbreaker] was nearly charged, but it didn't matter no more, Cure Elim was swallowed up in a wide beam of pure white light. Even while being scorched, the idiot Dragon still had his hate-twisted crimson eyes on Meitro, eyes that flared up brightly...then faded.

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAMNYOUUUUUuuuufiiiiiiiiiilth..."

Still spilling curses from his mouth, Cure Elim's ruined body began to carbonize and shatter away, disintegrating into the air.

The bleached world called forth by the Super-Tier Spell eventually dissipated, and there was nothing left besides the crater created by [Fallen Down]. The membrane covering the battlefield disappeared too, it seems the idiot Dragon really is dead. But he used his demonic senses to scout the vicinity just to be sure.

"Huff..."

Meitro left out that sigh of relief. It was over. He deactivated all the Spells and Skills he had actived during the fight and took a seat on the floor. He was a bit tired (mentally tired at least), it was his first authentic death match after all, but he won, so he can relax for a bit before searching for his friends.

He took a glance at the glittering stars above him, they were incredibly pretty. This world really is beautiful.

_'Perhaps I truly did something good for this whole world, by getting rid of that idiot Dragon.'_

He then had a look at the ruined city in the horizon, and started to consider the fact that perhaps it was Cure Elim the one that did such thing. At that moment, a refreshing breeze blew to him from the city's direction. It was crazy to think this, but perhaps the souls of those innocents murdered by the Dragon would be grateful to him?

_'That's dumb. The dead don't feel anything...or do they?'_

Who knows, perhaps the spirits of the dead do exist in this world for all he knows. But if they do, then there's no need to thank him. Meitro killed Cure Elim partially to defend himself, but mainly because he was pissed at that idiot's insufferable attitude. He killed the Dragon Lord for himself, him and nobody else. Fighting for the weak is more akin to what Teinu and Anchelo do.

He attempted to use [Message] but, as he expected, he couldn't reach anybody. The others were too far away.

Once again he lifted his head to look at the starry sky, and begun to wonder how are his friends doing. He can only hope they are okay, wherever they are. Perhaps that Daifuku bastard really did teleport them to a Dragon Lord each.

But still, Meitro IS the weakest in the group. Even if the other Dragon Lords are stronger than Cure Elim, his friends will be just fine.

He feels very sorry for the unlucky bastard that gets to fight against Anchelo. That angelic beast.

**[Far Away] **

Using a Magic Device designed to mimic binoculars, she observed and even recorded the whole battle between the Player and the Elder Coffin Dragon Lord since simply observing from long distances is just one of the Device's functions.

She half-expected the Demon to be defeated, since Summoners are supposed to be no good for combat, and she yearned to prove herself in combat to her beloved father as well, but to her surprise the Player actually fared very well in the fight, defeating the Dragon Lord without any scratch on him.

"It seems false Gods are still Gods after all, eh?"

Said another woman standing near the one recording the events.

"I don't care what they are, I just know that they come from the same world as father and mother, and hence they're dangerous."

"So what now? We just keep watching him until we're ordered to stop?"

"Or kill him, if needed be."

The one who recorded the entire fight was one of the 2 Goddess-Princesses of this world, and her current companion was a Demi-Goddess, a child of a Guardian God and a mortal. Therefore, both of them are "capped" beings perfectly capable of killing Meitro if they join forces against him.

Or not...

"You sure we even can? His experience is on par with your father's, no? He has fought countless beings that surpassed him back in YGGDRASIL. I mean, he totally wrecked that Dragon Lord, and those are supposed to be very strong no?"

"According to Tsa, that is. I'm not really sure if father should be trusting that being."

"Eh, I guess only you and your siblings can get away with criticizing the God-King."

"I'm not criticizing, I'm just worried. Father can be too trusting towards his allies."

This woman, Ankuru, was worried that someone would take advantage of her father's benevolence, so she suspects of everyone who calls itself a "friend" of the God-King. She and her siblings know how lonely their father can feel sometimes.

"In any case, let's just watch. If something odd happens we report."

"Uh? I'm getting a [Message]. It seems the other 4 Players are nearly done with their fights too."

As expected of beings on par with their progenitors, even the most powerful beings of this world just pale in comparison.

"So you think it's true what Tsa speculates? That 'he' will awake if all are defeated?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Father is prepared either way."

There is a reason Ainz didn't wanted to defeat the Alliance systematically, why he had to find a way to defeat 5 of those Dragon Lords simultaneously, why he didn't deployed the full force of Nazarick yet. If the tales he heard from the Platinum Dragon Lord about the final Dragon Lord of the Alliance are true, the he will need every single drop of power he can muster, power that he couldn't waste in mere fodder like the Dragon Lords he send the new Players against.

"Fodder" is the word Tsa used to describe the True Dragon Lords like himself and those of similar level in comparison to the "wood" creature, he wasn't even sure if such being is even a Dragon in the first place.

"Those are just the words of that Platinum Dragon. Who knows if he's playing my father for a fool."

"Why would he? I don't see any reason to think he was lying."

This woman may be a Demi-Goddess, but she inherited godly intelligence from her father, Ankuru recognizes her as someone more intelligent than her, so she has no choice but to agree with those words.

"Let's just hope for the best. My father's gut feelings are seldom wrong."

A normal individual would be punished for even suggesting that the God-King can make mistakes, but getting away with that is one of the perks of being blood, it seems.

The 2 just resumed their vigilance, the Demon Summoner for his part was still sitting on the floor, eyes closed. But he immediately opened them again when the ground suddenly started shaking...

**For those readers who for some reason or another haven't read the Evileye Side-Story, I wanna say here and now that I did a few modifications to Cure Elim's build. Those who did read the Side-Story would've noticed the differences, but I will detail them here anyways.**

**Cure Elim=Los Malvar**

**Epithet**

**[Elder Coffin Dragon Lord] (Formerly the **■ ■ **Dragon Lord)**

**Racial Levels - 51**

**10 - Dragonling**

**10 - Young**

**10 - Adult**

**10 - Old**

**05 - Elder**

**05 - Ancient**

**01 - True Vampire (Dragon)**

**Job Levels - ****47**

**10 - Primitive Caster**

**07 - Necromancer (Dragon)**

**09 - World Connector**

**10 - Dragon Overlord**

**08 - Soul Blasphemer**

**03 - Sorcerer (Dragon)**

**Total Level - 98**

**In my setting this Dragon is a few Levels higher, most notably in his [Sorcerer] Job Class that he took the time to invest more Levels in. And is because of such thing that he has access to more Spells in my story, as well as having better skill in the meta magic enhancements and is no longer limited to just Necromantic Spells either.**

**By the way, you also notice how [Necromancer] and [Sorcerer] have (Dragon) next to it, but [Dragon Overlord] doesn't? Well, that's because [Dragon Overlord] isn't what you think it is. It will be explained eventually in future Chapters of course, since you will need context to understand what I mean.**

**One last thing, some readers may think that Meitro had an easy victory, since his opponent was lower-leveled that means Cure Elim was weaker than Meitro, right? Well, yes and no. Levels aren't everything, something called racial synergy is very crucial when you wanna build a strong character.**

**A Level 100 Demi-Human is stronger than a Level 100 Humanoid because building only Job Classes leaves no room for Racial Classes that augment your power further. And likewise, a Level 100 Heteromorph is much stronger than a Level 100 Demi-Human because those can build even more Racial Levels. Also, they gain higher stats boost for the Job Levels they build as well.**

**So unlike Meitro who has 45 Racial Levels, Cure Elim had 51 Racial Levels that gave him much higher stats than his enemy. And since he also had Dragon-exclusive Job Classes, Cure Elim was actually stronger than his 98 Levels would imply.**

**However, besides the level-based damage adjustment, Cure Elim also had a disadvantage of lacking quality Equipment. The universal weakness of Dragons and other large monsters, they are so confident in their natural weapons and armor that they refuse to use anything better, even if such thing does exist. If not for the benefits and other perks, then the stats boost should be enough to warrant its use. But alas, Dragons like him are far too arrogant.**

**Meanwhile, Meitro was covered from head-to-tail with Divine-class gear, so at the end the Demon Summoner was indeed stronger than the Dragon Lord, hence his victory.**

**And with this, I say goodbye for now...uh? Meitro's Level Sheet? Hehe, don't worry, you WILL see his Levels and Classes, you will see everyone's Levels eventually, I promise. I just want to make sure that I introduce them in the best possible way, so bear with me a bit.**

**Next Chapter, the Vampiric Dragon Lord. **


	12. Chapter 12: Vampiric Dragon Lord

**Sulte'rioj=Marlsin'er was always the queer type of Dragon who was sometimes called "unnecessary polite" to everyone. Not only his Dragon seniors, peers, and even juniors were treated with respect by Sulte'rioj, but the slave rabble were as well, something that made the other Dragons label him a freak.**

**Each Dragon was unique of course, but self-entitled arrogance is a trait virtually every Dragon has, hence why Sulte'rioj was mostly an outcast. He never minded, because it turns out that his apparent humbleness was in fact an act of arrogance of its own. Why should a superior being be rude to an inferior being? As far as he knew, being disrespectful towards others is an act to hide insecurities and weaknesses, and it seems he was the sole Dragon that had none of those aspects to hide, something that inflated his already big ego.**

**Even after the world polluters emaciated his Race, he knew it was because his comrades were weak. Even after he himself was defeated by the same filth of the Dragon Emperor, he knew it was because of their otherworldly weapons, and not his own lack of strength. Even after he found himself in the verge of death and accidentally absorbed more Souls than his body could handle as an act of desperation, unknowingly transforming himself into a Vampire, he knew it was because only he had the determination it took to keep on fighting even after death.**

**His kind eventually did lost the war, and the Dragon Empire was no more, but Sulte'rioj was hardly bothered by such thing, the weak do deserve to die after all. He was alive, or at least, he continued to exist, and only that mattered.**

**When 5 survivors like him united to join forces, Sulte'rioj joined the Alliance in order to become much more powerful than he already was. He wasn't fueled by a desire to avenge his fallen brethren, of course, but simply because he yearned to erase his previous defeat with a future victory, to destroy the filth that destroyed him before. If a Dragon deserves to be the one who eliminates the polluters of the world, it was him, him and nobody else. **

Chapter 12: Vampiric Dragon Lord

What's going on? That's what Asmodel was wondering, he couldn't make sense of the current situation he suddenly got into. One minute he was inside a very big library speaking with another Human, then the next minute that same Human used...something, to take him to a faraway place.

The current place were he was in is dark, very dark. He was still in his Human form so his [Dark Vision] wasn't as good as it should be, but he could feel his feet submerged in a body of muddy water, and it reeked too, must be an underground lake or something. His senses were dulled in Human form too so he called out for his friends in case he just wasn't detecting them.

"Guys! GUYS! Are you here!? Hello!"

Nobody answered however, just his own echoing voice was reverberating in his ears. He was starting to get the creeps too.

_'Nobody around? Is it safe then?'_

He put away his clothes and covered his body with his usual Divine-class Equipment, returned to his Pseudo-Angel form and took to the air with his feathered wings. His enhanced senses returned to normal so he took a glance at his surroundings...and immediately wished he wouldn't have done that.

_'This...isn't muddy water...'_

A massive pool of blood, no, a still river of blood, his true senses made him sure the stench was indeed blood. Enclosed in what seemed to be an incredibly massive underground cave, but the shape of the surroundings was unnaturally smooth and there was no stalagmite nor stalactite anywhere in sight, this cave wasn't a natural one, someone or something must've made it.

What was specially eye-catching was a weird rock lump protruding from what seemed to be the center of the spacious cave Asmodel was currently in. It was huge and oval-shaped, almost gave the impression of being the coffin of a very large being.

_'This is a tomb? Oh boy.'_

The darkness, the blood, and the oversized rock coffin was truly giving him chills. He may be Level 100, but his mind and soul are still Human, so nobody would fault Asmodel for feeling unnerved. He clapped his hands as in the form of a prayer and spoke in a semi-loud tone.

"I'm sorry I intruded in your place of rest. It wasn't my intention to bother, so I will leave in silence."

Back on Earth, people would call him a dumb superstitious, but this world is magical, complete with evil and vengeful spirits, Undead, and similar beings of nightmare. At least according to what he has learned so far about this world's nature. He really has no way to know if it's true, but there's no harm in being respectful, and if there really is a spirit or something disturbed by his unwanted presence then he doesn't minds appeasing it.

Truth was, Asmodel was in fact a mostly neutral-good individual, one of the reasons his friends chose him as their leader. He wasn't a pure hearted Samaritan, such people can't exist in the world they come from, but he isn't an evil individual either. Asmodel is part benevolent and part pragmatic, something in-between, just like his Race and archetype.

What people chooses to play at in video games with great freedom of choice such as YGGDRASIL does reflect their inner self to some degree. And just like how his angelic side is more prominent than his demonic side on his Race of choice, and how magic is more prominent than Warrior Skills in his build, his personality tips a bit more towards kindness and a bit less towards pragmatism.

However, Asmodel will soon regret this random act of consideration.

The giant rock coffin begun to crack, something was braking out of it, the creature inside wasn't dead it seems. Perhaps Asmodel unknowingly woke it up, maybe he ought to apologize then.

As he was about to say that he's sorry, he lost his breath.

The creature that came out of the coffin, he knew what it was. He knew exactly what it was. For a second he couldn't process what was going on, why? How? Daifuku teleported him here on purpose? What for? As he was scrambling for answers on his head, the creature in front of him spoke first.

"You are a polite one, aren't you? Acting so respectful to someone you don't know."

Despite being such a large and imposing monster, the Dragon spoke in a relatively soft but still audible tone, such attitude didn't matched with the Dragon's creepy and emaciated appreciate at all.

"You must be a very powerful individual. The gear that covers you, I haven't seen such panoply since the accursed filth, surely you're famous up there? You will have to forgive my ignorance of the polluted world, I haven't visited it in a while."

Judging from the Dragon's words he really is underground after all, but how deep? Only the Dragon must know. But what does he mean with "accursed filth"? And "polluted world"? Are some parts of this world of magic just like his real world back on Earth? Dirty, ruined, and poisoned beyond repair? Asmodel certainly hopes not.

"You teleported here, no? That means you must be a Magic Caster. Yet, you sport heavy armor, like a Warrior. You must be one of those Mystic Knights that are being bred in that magical nation, what was its name...Sorcerer Kingdom, I believe. That nation founded and ruled by that cautious filth."

_'The right term is Mystic Warrior, though. Battle Mage to be specific, since Spellblades and Eldritch Knights wear much heavier armor than me.'_

The word "filth" again...wait...Sorcerer Kingdom? That's the country that Momonga leads! According to the tomes of the Church of Nazarick, at least. So this Dragon must definitely know about Players like him and Momonga. In any case, what he does remember is that this being is a member of an alliance of very powerful Dragons that are capable of fighting Players like him. He would like to avoid a confrontation if he can.

"Well, thanks for the compliments, but I really have to go, so I will look for the exit if you don't mind."

"You want to leave so soon? I haven't said if you are forgiven for interrupting my slumber yet."

That was more an act of consideration, Asmodel doesn't believes that waking you up from a nap is something worth making a fuss about.

"The stench you emanate is so strange. The polluted world has beings called Priests that can use twisted magic to call forth creatures called Angels, and also beings called Diabolists than can call forth creatures called Demons. Each of those creatures has a distinctive scent, yet you somehow smell like an Angel with a lingering scent of Demon. Are you perhaps a hybrid of sorts?"

Should he answer that question? Even if he wanted, it's complicated. According to YGGDRASIL lore, [Redeemed] are Demons that "shed away their darkness" and just "mimic Angels", [Fallen] are the opposite. However, he transcended that Race and achieved the Racial Class [Keeper Angel] that transforms the Demon into a "semi-perfect copy of Angels" according to fluff, but he still isn't a true Celestial. The [Jailer Devil] is the opposite of that one.

The true hybrids of Angels and Demons were the Mal'akh (written the same if it's either singular or plural). Those were true monsters! One would normally think that hey had the powers of both Celestials and Fiends or something like that, but such wasn't the case. Mal'akh were Angel-Demon hybrids in fluff only. They were however the only Race that was a natural carrier of the [Star] element, so that already makes them one of the strongest Races in the game, if not THE strongest.

The [Star] element by itself is already far more beneficial than simply combining the [Holy] and [Unholy] elements that Angels and Demons naturally carry, since [Star] encompasses all otherworldly elements like [Time] as well as [Sun] and [Moon] while also transcending all mundane elements like the 4 basic ones. And if that wasn't enough, [Mal'akh] takes its previous Race's trait of taking 2 high ability scores in exchange of 3 low ability scores and coverts it into taking a whooping 5 high ability scores in exchange of the same 3 low ones!

At first glance it sounds too broken from a gaming perspective, but considering how incredibly difficult it was to obtain that Racial Class, people seldom complained about the overpowered Mal'akh Players.

They were the second most rare after the World Champions, each of those supposed hybrids was famous throughout YGGDRASIL. But yet again, a good chunk of the members of Trinity was a celebrity in the game.

The Vampire Dragon didn't waited for a response, he just kept talking.

"Was one of your parents an Angel, and the other a Demon? Are you an experiment of one of those...what were they, Alchemist? You one of those repulsive Chimeras they make? Just what are you?"

_'What am I? Just what are you!? I thought you were some super evil Dragon, how come you're so civilized?'_

Asmodel didn't dare to say that aloud though.

"To be honest, I'm just someone who was taken here against his will. It wasn't my intention to bother you, so I hope you do forgive my intrusion and will be really grateful if you show me the exit."

After saying those words, Asmodel could see a glimmer of surprise in the almost skeletal face of the Dragon, somehow.

"Against...your will? Someone much more powerful than you is up there?"

"Well, I was tricked to be precise."

"That so..."

The Dragon sounded a bit disappointed for some reason.

"In that case, I guess I will have to conform with you."

Before Asmodel could ask what did the Dragon meant, his senses told him that the fluids in the blood lake below him begun to move, the blood was unnaturally raising up, concentrating in a giant floating orb above the Dragon's head, the lake was now gone, every single drop of blood was now concentrated in that orb. There's no mistaking it, that's [Blood Pool]. This Dragon really does have the [Blood Drinker] Job Class after all.

"W-wait, what are you doing? I have nothing against you."

"Nor I against you. But there's something I need, you see, something you have that I need more than you do."

A weird substance begun to cover the ground like a membrane, but Asmodel was too distraught to notice it.

"Can't you have what you want without violence!?"

"Perhaps, but I have a feeling that you won't give me you blood, body, nor Soul willingly, would you?"

_'What...? WHAT!?'_

Asmodel didn't got the chance to process what he heard since an incredibly massive [Fireball] was cast towards him from the massive blood orb. It wasn't just huge, but fast, WAY too fast.

The Spell hit Asmodel head on, the blast illuminated the cave for a second and pushed away with tremendous force the surprised Battle Mage who didn't got the chance to neither avoid the attack nor brace himself for it. However, it was then and there that Asmodel understood, this is no normal enemy, there's no way that was a common 3rd Tier Spell, that's impossible.

His smoking body collided and buried itself into a wall, but that didn't hurt. Not as much as the [Fireball] Spell did at least. His mind however was in a much worse condition than his burned body, he couldn't make head nor tails of what the hell just happened.

It's true that some Racial Classes like [Overlord] grant passive Skills that give absolute protection from lower-level attacks and Spells, but none of Asmodel's Racial Classes were like that. He does have immunity from fire attacks, as well as Relic-class gear and natural weapons of similar caliber, but if those things are magically enhanced to reach Legendary-class level or above, then his natural defenses will be breached.

Hence, common sense says that a fire Spell shouldn't be able to even touch him, yet there he is, scorched almost as bad as the time he was zapped by [Bind of Repent]'s penalty.

_'My body is stacked in Divine-class gear, how can [Fireball]...no, not only that, I'm supposed to be immune to Fire-type damage in the first place! What's going-'_

A [Lightning] Spell was hurled against him next, but this time he did react and used [Teleportation] to get away. He was still confused though, so he decided to ask his mind.

"Was that [Lightning]? How did you do that?"

"Why should I answer you? No need to answer the questions of someone who's going to die."

"Why!? What did I do to deserve death? Bother your sleep!?"

"Oh, you didn't offend me in any way, I simply need your body, blood, and Soul for my own needs. It's survival of the fittest you see, as simple as that."

The fact that the Dragon can easily say such morbid things with a calm and soft tone was nothing short of unnerving. Asmodel for his part has no intention of dying just because some Dragon says he has to, so he begun to fight back.

_'To think I was polite with this guy...'_

The Dragon kept firing 3rd Tier Spells against him but Asmodel's battle sense and PvP experience allowed him to quickly adapt to their speed and potency. It turns out that the Dragon's 3rd Tier Spells were so powerful that he needed to use 5th Tier Spells of his own to counter, truly a huge power disparity compared to his own Spells.

His opponent adapted too, and stepped up the power of his Spells by a Tier.

"[Grand Fireball]."

That was a 4th Tier Spell! What is the limit of this Dragon's magic? Asmodel now knows that this Dragon won't answer if he asks, but also knows that it would be troublesome if this Dragon can use all the way to 10th Tier Magic considering how potent his Spells are for their Tier.

"[Veil of Moon]."

Asmodel cast a defensive Spell, an immaterial magical barrier which resembled a shimmering, multicolored wall like a curtain of thin cloth took shape in front of him and absorbed the massive fire attack that easily eclipsed the previous ones. Surely, that would've hurt had it landed.

_'Could he use Super-Tier? That would be the worst case scenario.'_

He took out his battle staves [Tolkien] and [Lewis] from his Item Box, since he wants to physically feel out his enemy and know his limits before fighting for real. While it's true that staves and similar gear is the main Equipment of mages in fantasy stories and games, in YGGDRASIL not every Mage used a staff. Depending of build, archetype, and personal preference, a Level 100 Magic Caster could have staves or rods as main weapon to supplement their magic, but many Mages still chose to fight barehanded.

The reason was actually very obvious, it was difficult to select Spells from the console if your hand is already holding a weapon. YGGDRASIL did have options that allowed you to simply name the Spell or Skill you wanted to use, hence how a 2-handed Fighter could still fight without issues, but when it came to using Spells in combat it was faster to simply use the console instead of shouting the Spell, especially if you want to use a Spell with a long name. Hence, most Mages in the game opted to simply fight barehanded.

However, Asmodel was a Mystic Warrior with a degree of close combat ability, that's why he designed his Divine-class staves with both the ability to enhance his Spells and serve as bludgeoning weapons as well. He felt confident enough to fend against a Fighter of similar Level, even if his melee abilities are only on par with a Level 85 or so Warrior, so for now he will be using Skills and defensive Spells to have a measure of the Dragon's overall strength.

He put force on his wings and propelled himself forward towards the Dragon's head and smashed his teeth before the Dragon could react.

"[Skill - Soul of Champion]!"

This was the strongest buffing Skill Asmodel has to enhance physical attacks. His Skills are nowhere near Ragnar's of course, but they do the job.

The battle staves hit the Dragon with enough force to push him back a considerable distance away. His shattered teeth flew like debris and his dehydrated face became deformed by the tremendous blow. Neither Asmodel nor the Dragon expected that, judging by both their expressions.

"Whoa, one strike like that and you're left in such state? You're more fragile than I thought. A Vampire Dragon from YGGDRASIL would barely have a scratch from that pitiful attack of mine."

Compared to those Warriors that stood at the top of Seraphim, his strongest attacks truly are pitiful.

The Dragon for his part seemed to have a perplexed look, but it was hard to see the facial expression of a dehydrated head, even more so now that is deformed. Asmodel's pseudo-angelic senses picked up a soft word the Dragon muttered to himself.

"...YGGDRASIL...?"

_'Oh...damn. I said the game's name aloud without thinking. I'm supposed to be laying low, how could I forget?'_

You can occasionally forget some things in the heat of battle, but Asmodel was still berating himself for such an amateurish mistake.

"You...are not what I assumed you are...seems my initial Spell only landed by sheer luck. Do forgive me for underestimating you, I will adjust accordingly to your strength now...you damned filth..."

"Uh...?"

Asmodel can swear that he sensed a deep and underlying rage behind the Dragon's voice when he called him "filth". The tone shift was too abrupt, Asmodel's danger sense was warning him like crazy.

"[Greatest Reinforce Armor]."

The Dragon cast a 6th Tier defensive Spell on himself and the giant floating blood orb above the his head divided into 3 slightly smaller orbs, Asmodel braced himself and added defensive Skills on his body just in case.

"[Skill - Blood Cloak]. [Skill - Crystal Skin]. [Skill - Indomitable Fortress]."

The first 2 were Racial Skills while the last one was a Warrior Job Skill. He could add more but he doesn't wants to exhaust his resources so soon. Knowing what you're fighting against and forming a strategy accordingly, those were the wise teachings of Seraphim's Guild Master, Mekiel the Sage.

However, it turns out that such low amount of defenses weren't enough.

"[Over Triplet Maximize Widen Magic - Hell Flame]!"

The world was engulfed in dark fire, the strength of the attack was so big that the already wide underground cave became even wider and more spacious because the omnidirectional force of the Dragon's Spell.

Asmodel's field of vision was completely eclipsed, the [Hell Flame] Spell penetrated his defenses despite being a mere 7th Tier Spell, his body was scorching hot again, but much worse this time. Truly, he didn't expected this much power from a single Spell, and it did hurt a lot, but the piercing burns he's experiencing now are worth it for the valuable information he now has about his enemy.

The Dragon seems to be capped at 7th Tier, otherwise he would've cast the 9th Tier Spell [Nuclear Blast] instead to create such powerful blast. That leads to the meta magic enhancements he used, a total of 4 to amplify the [Hell Flame] Spell, the first one he knows nothing about since Over Magic didn't existed in YGGDRASIL. However, meta magic has an extra MP cost, the more you enhancements you stack the faster you burn your mana, so either the Dragon doesn't minds getting dry, or has a super huge MP pool.

As Asmodel was processing the information, his opponent continued the attack.

The Dragon jumped forward and smashed his tail against him, but Asmodel parried the strike with his twin staves. The assault continued to get more and more furious but Asmodel's reflexes eventually caught up with the Dragon's speed. Claws, fangs, tail swipes, even full body slams were countered or evaded. Even the Dragon's Spells were now moot against him, it seems the Dragon's MP pool isn't that big after all since the previous AoE Spell wasn't used again.

_'But the whole point of [Blood Pool] is that you can recharge your MP, is this Dragon really ignorant of the full extent of his own abilities?'_

With this, Asmodel now has a better understanding of his opponent. His magic merely reaches 7th Tier, his MP pool isn't that big apparently, his physical abilities are just on par with a Level 80 or so Warrior, and that's in stats only since the Dragon also seems to lack proper Skills to use in combat.

_'I can do this. I can win! Wait for me guys, I will just get rid of this Dragon and look for you.'_

The Dragon attempted to swallow him with his oversized maw but Asmodel teleported behind him, actived both staves' enhancements and used a Spell.

"[Maximize Magic - Stream of Lava]!"

This is a 10th Tier Holy Spell he has access to thanks to a passive Skill of his [Keeper Angel] Racial Class, [Spark of Divine]. Of course, his Divine Spells are nowhere near Anchelo's, but they should be enough for his current opponent.

A beam of magma was fired like a heavily thick laser towards the Dragon's exposed back at great speeds, burning his Undead flesh and leaving his humongous body even more deformed. But instead of continuing with his relentless flurry of attacks, the Dragon simply turned around and addressed Asmodel again.

"So it is true...you are one of them. To think the Dragon Emperor's filth would come directly to me. How polite of you for saving me the trouble of hunting you. I promise to make your demise quick and painless."

"...I assume you're not gonna tell me why you want my, what was it? Flesh and blood?"

"Body, blood, and Soul. You wish to know why I need them? I guess you can know, consider it my farewell gift to you."

He purposely made the Dragon start a conversation because he wanted the chance to recover his lost HP and formulate a quick strategy. Asmodel knows his enemy's strength, so now he will fight to carry out his plan.

"I need to be strong enough, you see. Because of my nature, both as a Dragon and as an Undead, my power is proportional to the amount of Souls and flesh I consume. Since the meddling of that accursed lot centuries ago, the Souls of this world are no longer as powerful as they were, and most of the polluted rabble is much weaker and smaller than me, so I need to collect as much as I can."

"But, why you need so much power? Aren't you strong enough already?"

"If you aren't the strongest being, you might as well be the weakest. Even destroying you would prove nothing, destroying the filth that rules that country would prove nothing, not as long as that damned, arrogant, kin-eater, and self-centered bastard is out there! Using his birthright to do as he desires with his everyone! Treating everyone else as scum, that I can oversee, but treating me as scum. ME! I..."

The Dragon seemed to be lost in some faraway place. As he was saying that, Asmodel took notice of the floating blood orbs slowly decomposing their shape back into liquid, but now said blood was being absorbed by the Dragon's body. Asmodel knew what that meant, he kind of hoped that the Dragon couldn't do such thing, but he can, so the battle will become real nasty now.

"Ah, I was long in my memories, do forgive my outburst."

The Dragon's wounds were healing, that's an effect of the Skill he was activating. Asmodel now is 100% certain of what the Dragon is doing, so he needs to quickly readjust his makeshift strategy to accommodate such thing. He began to add both Spells and Skills on himself and tightened the grip on his staves, both of them will be going all out now.

"Now that you know my motives, I will be taking what I need from you. You can resist, but I assure you that it's useless, I long surpassed your filthy kind, but at the very least you can still serve as power source to me, Sulte'rioj the Vampiriiic Draaaagoooooooon LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORD!"

The Dragon, Sulte'rioj, underwent a gross transformation after absorbing all the blood of his orbs. His maw became longer and wider, and his teeth inside became more numerous and jagged, like the mouth of a shark. The tongue elongated like a whip, constantly drooling smelly saliva, his claws became longer and sharper, and his tail alongside the wings stretched too. His bloodshot draconic eyes begun to emit an intense reddish glow, but most noteworthy was the disgusting stink coming out of his mouth, as if thousands of corpses were rotting inside the Dragon's stomach.

A vomit-inducing cross of winged lizard and lamprey, that's the creature now standing in front of Asmodel.

Sulte'rioj let out an ear shattering half-roar half-screech that reverberated in the entire cave, Asmodel's enhanced hearing made it specially painful to him, and his enhanced smelling made the putrid odor far more nauseating.

Countless dead people inside the beast's gullet may very well be the case, is what Asmodel thought while doing his best to not throw up at such gross smell, the fact that the Dragon was screaming at his direction only made the stench worse. There's no mistaking it, this Sulte'rioj really is what he speculated if he's using this Skill.

[Blood Frenzy]. This Dragon is a True Vampire.

In exchange of the huge power boost, [Blood Frenzy] makes the user lose all reason and go on a bloodthirsty rampage (according to fluff, that is). The Vampire's weapons are enhanced as well in this state, and in the Dragon's case that means that his fangs and claws became much stronger than before. If they reached the same level as Legendary-class gear or higher, then things would get ugly if the attacks connect.

Both of them locked eyes for an instant, then in the speed of a heartbeat the 2 made their respective moves. Sulte'rioj jumped forward at incredible speeds, and Asmodel used a Racial Skill.

"[Skill - Dark Abode]!"

Before achieving the [Redeemed] Class, the last Demon Racial Class Asmodel got was [Raja Rakshasa], a Demon Class renown for the incredible boost it gave to spellcasting ability. A benefit of becoming a Pseudo-Angel is that he still has access to all the demonic abilities he build up before his "ascension" like the Skill he just used, and those also continued to get stronger as he leveled-up too. [Dark Abode] is a magical AoE attack similar to [Negative Burst] that covers the battlefield in curse-inducing darkness, but Undead are immune to status ailments like curse, so why did Asmodel use it? Because the Skill itself not only corrodes the enemy's body, but also blinds the opponent with demonic darkness that even [Dark Vision] can't see through.

There's eye Equipment that could easily through this darkness, but Sulte'rioj is a Dragon, and those always have a tendency to look down on gear, so under normal circumstances he would be blinded by this attack. Granted, Dragons are supposed to have good senses, but [Dark Abode] also muddled the senses of Monsters too, ensuring that even Dragons can't see him.

Only he and those protected by friendly fire can see in this conditions.

Asmodel used [Teleportation] right after his Skill to move away from the Dragon's range, amassed great force on his wings, and then propelled himself forward towards Sulte'rioj's neck, but as he was about to slam his staves on the oversized trachea, the Dragon's tail knocked him out from his trajectory with a swift swipe.

_'What? He shouldn't be able to see nor sense me! Is this...that Wild Magic we heard about?'_

The Dragon turned his head towards his direction and half-spoke half-screamed at Asmodel.

"Uuuuuseeeeeleeeeeeesssssss! Youuuuuuuuu nooooooot hiiiiiiiideeeeee froooooooom meeeeeeeee!"

"Hiding is useless? Alright, no more tricks. Let's fight the old-fashioned way then, Sulte'rioj."

Asmodel used the staves' Spell enhancing ability again to cast [Maximize Magic - Vermillion Nova] which dissipated the darkness to illuminate the entire underground cave, his enemy apparently shrugged it off and lunged against him again at inhuman speeds, but Asmodel teleported again, this time upwards near the cave's roof. Sulte'rioj stopped midway and changed directions towards the roof, as if defying inertia somehow. But Asmodel accepted such challenge and propelled himself downwards with great force like a meteor, held his breath, and braced himself to do the most disgusting thing he has ever done.

Sulte'rioj opened his mouth wide to swallow Asmodel whole, and swallow him he did. The Pseudo-Angel purposely entered the Dragon's body and activated 2 Racial Skills, [Hellfire Breath] and [Heavenflame Vision]. His eyes and mouth were spewing Holy and Unholy fire simultaneously, severely burning the stagnant inner organs of the Undead Dragon. The scales, muscles, and bones of a Dragon may be as powerful as they are, but nobody is just as strong inside as they are outside. Sulte'rioj may be an Undead, but Vampires and Zombies are Undead with guts, unlike Skeletons who only have bones and nothing else, the organs of Vampires can still be destroyed to at least partially cripple it.

However, Asmodel wasn't unleashing normal fire, so the damage he was causing couldn't simply be ignored by Sulte'rioj who had vaporized blood coming out of his mouth and other body holes, so he inserted his own clawed arm inside his gut to forcefully take Asmodel out of his body and tossed him away.

The Battle Mage was grossed out by the sticky fluids covering him, but it seems it was worth it since [Life Essence] showed how much damage the Dragon took because of that, only 3 quarters of his monstrous HP were left, far more damage than he has done so far against him.

"Cheeeeeeeaaaaaaateeeeeeeer fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilth! Kiiiiiiiiiiiiill yooooooooouuuuuu!"

Sulte'rioj shot [Greater Dragon Fire] against him, but something was off. It was a 6th Tier Spell, wasn't the Dragon able to use 7th Tier? Also, there was no meta magic enhancement, Sulte'rioj added 4 enhancements before, yet not a single one to this one. But no time to think about that right now.

"[Skill - Judgement Horn]!"

This was a high-level Redeemed Skill that materialized a huge trumpet to release a powerful sound wave, a wave that easily dissipated the 6th Tier fire Spell and hit Sulte'rioj head on. It's true that said Spell was much stronger than a 6th Tier one, but [Judgement Horn] can dissipate even 9th Tier Spells.

The Dragon was getting more and more frustrated, the roar-screeches were getting louder and staggered, and was firing Spells blindly. The polite and civilized Dragon from before was nowhere to be seen, such disparity was truly odd to Asmodel. But alas, Sulte'rioj was now keeping his distance from him, it seems he was wary of another extreme move, so perhaps he can use it at his advantage.

"Is that it? You will just keep firing Spells and keep your distance? Then I will go to you!"

Asmodel took this opportunity and flew towards the still open wound that the Dragon inflicted on himself to get the Pseudo-Angel out of him. Sulte'rioj panicked and shielded himself with his wings, then his body was engulfed in black fire.

_'[Undead Flame]...? Well of course, Undead Dragon, duh.'_

"[Undead Form]. [Skill - Acceleration]."

As he used that Spell and Skill, he held a firmer grip on his staves and used [Gate] to open 2 portals, one in front of him and the other right above the Dragon's head. Then, he activated 2 high-level Warrior Skills.

"[Skill - Soul of Champion]!. [Skill - Meteoric Stomp]!"

He disappeared inside the portal in front of him to come out of the portal above the Dragon, smashing his skull before Sulte'rioj could even react. [Acceleration] made sure that his enemy couldn't defend himself on time, and [Soul of Champion] increased the attack power tremendously. While it's true that [Moon-Cutting Fang] is his strongest Warrior Skill, that is a slashing attack, and among his arsenal of Warrior weapons only 1 of his swords is Divine-class, the elemental blade [Carroll]. Meanwhile, both [Tolkien] and [Lewis] are Divine-class staves, so the damage of bludgeoning Skills is multiplied by 2, hence the reason he used [Meteoric Stomp] instead. That Skill even gets a damage bonus if you attack from above like Asmodel just did.

The impact was felt throughout the entire cave, the fact that Sulte'rioj had [Blood Frenzy] to buff his physical abilities is the sole reason his head didn't split in 2. It's also thanks to his Undead nature that he wasn't knocked out by that, but he did receive critical damage regardless.

Sulte'rioj attempted to strike Asmodel with a tail swipe but the Battle Mage just dodged the predictable attack, hitting his own wounded head instead. Asmodel isn't as agile as a proper Level 100 Warrior, but it seems that the speed of a Level 85 one is good enough against this Dragon.

"Daaaaaaaaaaamneeeeeeeed fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilth!"

Sulte'rioj was trashing like a wounded beast, but Asmodel was just frowning.

_'Why? I should've hurt him enough at this point, no? I burned his guts, I mangled his flesh, I broke his bones, what else I have to do?'_

Asmodel could use a Super-Tier Spell and 10th Tier Spells alongside his most powerful Racial and Job Skills to end this fight, since he already concluded that the Dragon is someone he can safely defeat. But he isn't fighting to win, not yet anyway. First he needs to draw Sulte'rioj into a corner, he must make him desperate, he has to make him want to...that's it!

He let go of one of his staves, but the staff didn't fall on the ground, it was levitating on the air, that's because of a Skill that both high-level Celestials and Fiends have known as [Telekinesis]. It's actually more useful for utility purposes than combat since there's a weight limit to how much can be mentally moved, [Mass Fly] is more useful for moving numerous heavy stuff. He used his now free hand to take out [Carroll] from his Item Box, used [Gate] and [Acceleration] again in order to get near the Dragon's back at blinding speeds, and once there he finally used his strongest Warrior Skill [Moon-Cutting Fang] to chop away Sulte'rioj wings.

Such damage was minimal of course, but chipping away the Dragon's HP isn't the reason Asmodel amputated him.

Then, Asmodel returned his sword back and in its place took out an hourglass from his inventory, and gigantic magic circles appeared around him, it was a Super-Tier Spell. He immediately crushed the hourglass to activate the Spell, he has no time to lose.

"[Creation]!"

This was a Super-Tier Spell that reshaped the battlefield into whatever the caster desired. It isn't a direct attack, but destroying his opponent isn't what Asmodel wants, he has to make Sulte'rioj run away from this cave, he has to force him to show the exit.

The spacious cave has no entrances nor tunnels of any sort, so how did the Dragon get in? Or how would he get out? There must be a trick or something, but Asmodel has a feeling that it would take him a very long time to figure such thing out, time that he has no intention of wasting since his friends may be in danger, perhaps Daifuku took them to the other Dragon Lords of the Alliance.

There's also the possibility that the Dragon may collapse the cave in a final act of spite and futile attempt to destroy Asmodel, like many underground monsters did back in YGGDRASIL when their HP reached 0.

So, he will force the Dragon to get out of here, and Asmodel will follow behind when he does.

[Creation] turned the surroundings into Flaming Sanctuary, a holy land of heat that adds both Fire-type and Holy-type damage to whoever steps on it, soft spectral fire was visible throughout the shining floor of the cave, so in an act of desperation Sulte'rioj jumped to the walls and stick himself on them like a gecko, since he can no longer fly without any wings. It seems that he never bothered to learn the [Fly] Spell since he always had natural flight.

But such tactic was useless, since this was a cave, the Super-Tier Spell had a hard time making a distinction between the floor, walls, or roof, so the Flaming Sanctuary was spreading everywhere like holy fire, hunting down the evil Dragon that was now running towards the roof to no avail. Eventually, the holy fire begun to burn his legs, then it spread to his limbs, and then his torso, tail, and head.

The Dragon's painful wails were hurtful to the ear, Holy attacks can cause genuine pain to Undead after all, so this must be the first time in very long that Sulte'rioj feels agony. Asmodel for his part was losing his patience, what else he has to do? He certainly hopes that his Super-Tier Spell doesn't ends up destroying his opponent before he can figure out how to get out.

But his efforts and tactics eventually worked, Sulte'rioj used a Spell to finally get out of this flaming cave and back to the surface, and Asmodel reacted in time with a Spell of his own.

"[Teeeeeleeeeeepooooooortaaaaaaaaatiiiiiioooooooooooon]!"

"!-[Lopsided Duel]!"

Sulte'rioj teleported himself roughly 30,000 meters (18.64 miles) upwards, a desolated area similar to a desert without ecosystems of any sort. Only the barren lands and the starry full moon sky were visible in this little spot of the world. Some ravaged skeletons worn away by the elements could also be seen scattered around the ground, Humanoid, Demi-Human, and even animal remains were the sole decoration of this lifeless place.

The holy fire eventually dissipated from Sulte'rioj's body, and he slowly deactivated his [Blood Frenzy] to return to normal. His wings are gone, but that can be fixed, he just needs to ask that demented Undead cult that worships him to give him enough Negative Energy to heal all wounds and recover lost body parts, no need to exhaust his emergency reserves. When he's back to full strength, he will return back to his cave and finish off the filth for good.

But wait...something is wrong. His draconic senses told him something that he didn't wanted to believe, but had to accept either way. He moved his gaze towards the direction his senses were warning him, and saw him there.

The Dragon Emperor's filth was there, up in the surface with him. The same gemstone armor, diadem in head, the wood staves, 4 wings, 3 eyes. No mistaking it, it's the same being that just drew him into a corner and forced him retreat.

But how? Obviously he teleported, but how did he knew where to? Granted, he did deactivate [World-Warping Wall] since he himself couldn't have teleported all the way here with that Wild Magic Spell active, but Sulte'rioj knew exactly where to teleport since he has already been here before. But the filth shouldn't have any idea about this place, so how? In any case, the filth broke the silence first.

"Your expression is telling me, you really have no idea what I did? I guess I can tell you. Consider it my farewell gift to you."

Those are the same words that Sulte'rioj used before.

"There's this 3rd Tier Spell called [Lopsided Duel] that bounds you to your target. That way, if your target tries to teleport away, both you and your target will arrive at the same place. It prevents your enemy from escaping, and has the advantage of being one-way, so you yourself can teleport away without fear of your target arriving with you. Hence, the name [Lopsided Duel]."

There are Spells like that? Sulte'rioj never gave that much thought to utility Spells, since the most important thing in battle is power, so even if he did knew beforehand about such Spell, he would have no reason to learn it himself.

"Then, is that all you want to know? I guess we can now settle this if that's case. It's a pity you know, you seemed polite, I would've forgotten all this had you never attempted to kill me."

As he said that, and aura of danger surrounded the filth, his wings slowly spread, and saw some form of power envelop his weapons. The Dragon felt a horrible sense of nostalgia at this sight, a traumatic memory that he partially suppressed, but always haunted a fraction of his psyche. He would never say such thing aloud, but most of his Alliance peers wouldn't fault him for feeling this way. This feeling is only natural after all, only that cowardly brat of Cure Elim (who never fought against the filth in his pitiful life) and that monstrous bastard (the one who created such Alliance and is the absolute strongest member) wouldn't feel such instinct.

For the first time in 600 years, Sulte'rioj felt fear. Despite his Undead status, a chill ran through his draconic spine. The being in front of him was on par with that accursed lot that slaughtered his kind, only now is such fact truly sinking in.

_'...damned filth...how dare you make me feel weak...'_

But Sulte'rioj also remembers all the time and effort that he put to build the strength he has now, how different he is compared to the time when the filth annihilated his kin, when he was so easily defeated. He lost his chance to destroy those 8, but at the very least he will destroy the one in front of him and take its power for himself, one day he will also destroy that filth that the slave Races call God-King alongside his filthy brood, and perhaps that way he will gain the strength he needs to finally put that arrogant "Dragon" on his place. That's the main reason he even agreed to join the Dragon Lord Alliance that bastard created in the first place.

What Asmodel did after finishing his explanation of [Lopsided Duel] was activate his [Aura of Hope III] alongside [Nirvannic Protection] and cover his staves with [Blade of Eden]. His aura works by buffing his good-aligned allies and weakening his evil-aligned enemies, and if the Dragon wasn't an Undead then perhaps he would get paralysis too, the protection is a shield that buffs both his physical and magic defenses up to a certain threshold, while [Blade of Eden] is a Skill that covers the weapons in angelic fire, but unlike Meitro's [Infernus Mantellum] that covers both the user and all gear, Asmodel only covered his weapons. However, that way the buff is more intense, so [Blade of Eden] is far more effective in the current situation.

Both of them locked eyes again, just like they did before. This time, Asmodel will truly fight for real, he will fight to win, will fight to kill.

As he was about to deliver his first strike however, the ground trembled, and an instant later huge geysers of blood erupted everywhere around them. The blood coming out of the earth took the shape of a huge floating orb above Sulte'rioj's head, but this time the orb was much bigger than before.

Sulte'rioj nourished caution, he had stockpiled enormous amounts of blood during the centuries, and kept most of his reserves hidden in this adequately desolated place. Normally, exhausting all his resources in just a single fight would be a waste, but he's beyond determined to destroy the filth this time.

Asmodel's determination didn't wavered a bit, he flew at great speeds to smash his fiery weapons against his foe, the Dragon responded with a swift tail swipe but the Battle Mage parried the attack with his staves, setting ablaze Sulte'rioj tail before using [Gate] again to deliver blind and unavoidable attacks.

However, instead of dodging, Sulte'rioj was taking the hits head on since he immediately begun to absorb the amassed blood into his body just like last time.

The Redeemed stopped his attacks and made distance, since [Blood Frenzy] heals the Vampire's wounds and fully recovers all lost HP then attacking mid-transformation is a waste of energy. He will destroy the Dragon after he takes that repulsive shape again. But to Asmodel's surprise the transformation was capable of even regrowing the Dragon's chopped wings, [Blood Frenzy] shouldn't be able to recover lost limbs, this Dragon is cheating!

Sulte'rioj, sporting that same grotesque lamprey form again, took to the skies and shot a powerful Spell from above.

"[Over Triplet Maximize Magic - Chain Dragon Lightning]!"

That [Over] meta magic enhancement again, just what is it? Asmodel had no time to think about such thing right now, so he cast a Spell of his own.

"[Triplet Maximize Magic - Black Hole]."

The 3 oversized Dragon-shaped lightning strikes were swallowed by the 3 black holes enhanced by the Divine-class staves. Such Spell was surely far stronger than a common 7th Tier Spell, Asmodel felt, hence why he used [Black Hole] and buffed it with his staves on top of that. But most noteworthy was the fact that the Dragon could now use meta magic in his [Blood Frenzy] state, and his words weren't diluted with rageful screams no more, a complete difference from the first time he entered such state in this fight, something must have changed inside his mind.

_'So determined you are to kill me, uh? Why you hate me so much? Whatever...'_

"[Triplet Maximize Magic - Gravity Maelstrom]!"

3 black spinning vortexs of hyper-intensified gravity and likewise enhanced by the Divine-class staves were hurled towards Sulte'rioj at high speeds, the Dragon dodged the Spell but it did little since his body bended and twisted because of the sheer amount of gravitational pull the Spell created around it. Had the gravity spheres hit Sulte'rioj directly, then it's very likely that the battle would've ended right there.

"Good instinct! That Spell isn't like [Reality Slash] but it's still very powerful on its own right, but in the shape you are now, can you dodge it again?"

Sulte'rioj panicked and teleported behind Asmodel, it seems [Lopsided Duel] only works if the target teleports far away. Once behind his enemy's back, the Dragon fired a Spell at point-blank range.

"[Maximize Magic - Force Blast]!"

That 6th Tier Spell was a lesser version of the 8th Tier Spell [Explosion] which, in turn, was a lesser version of the 9th Tier Spell [Nuclear Blast].

But he didn't stop there, Sulte'rioj unleashed a flurry of devastating physical attacks so fast that any common being looking would be unable to even count them. The ground trembled with each strike, huge cracks were being formed and increasing in size and number around the battlefield. Wild Magic was used to increase the potency of the blows because Sulte'rioj reached the conclusion that he will be defeated if the battle continues as a clash of Spells, so he will destroy the filth with his strength.

Unfortunately for Sulte'rioj, neither his 6th Tier Spell nor his buffed strikes reached the necessary threshold to bypass [Nirvannic Protection]. Under normal circumstances, that Skill would offer complete defense from 8th Tier Spells and Relic-class gear, since the Job Class that gives it is one that is extremely difficult to obtain. However, because Asmodel's gear already gives him tremendous amounts of protection, and the fact that he's a Mystic Warrior that has the strengths of both Mages and Fighters, [Nirvannic Protection] is stronger than its standard default form when he uses it.

In his case, such Skill was enhanced a step further and grants him immunity from 9th Tier Spells and Legendary-class gear. Meaning that only 10th Tier Spells, Super-Tier Spells, and Divine-class gear can harm him in his current state. Of course, such powerful Skill can't be a permanent state, so it has a limited amount of time it can be active, hence why Asmodel only activated it now.

And it seems Sulte'rioj eventually realized that his attacks were meaningless since his uninterrupted chain of blows abruptly stopped. He jumped backwards to make distance, but never diverted his hate-twisted eyes from his enemy.

In contrast with the distraught Dragon, Asmodel spoke in a nonchalant tone.

"Sorry, it seems that neither your Spell not your natural weapons are enough to break my shield. Have you considered to enhance them with magic? Perhaps that would cut the bill, you know?"

He did enhance them with magic, he poured as much Souls as he could into his attacks just now. Surely, the filth would mock him if Sulte'rioj were to say such thing aloud. He would break into a bombastic laughter, all while screaming how weak the Dragon is, just like those accursed group of 8 did so long ago.

"Damn. You. Filth..."

"Oh, that's it then...okay. [Maximize Magic - Nuclear Blast]!"

Now it was Asmodel who opened with a powerful AoE Spell, then spread his wings and lunged himself towards the Dragon at great speeds, used [Acceleration] again to make sure Sulte'rioj isn't able to dodge any of his blows and smacked his flaming staves over and over throughout the oversized reptilian-lamprey body. [Acceleration] is actually a mid-level Fighter Skill that can be used several times in a single day, but the speed boost of said Skill scales up to the Player's overall Level and stats, hence why it's still a very useful Skill even at high-levels.

Sulte'rioj knew that attempting to counterattack the filth's blinding strikes was useless, so he simply braced himself with his wings and cast [Undead Flame] on himself, despite knowing that the filth is immune to such Negative Energy thanks to [Undead Form]. However, if he can make the filth exhaust his mana reserves by forcing him to constantly sustain that protection Spell, then that would be to his benefit. But that's actually a very pitiful observation, because if the Dragon was actually interested in utility Spells like [Mana Essence] instead of just attack Spells then he would've noticed the fact that Asmodel actually has a much, much larger amount of MP than him, so Sulte'rioj will be the one running out of mana long before his opponent.

And if that wasn't enough, one of Asmodel's most powerful Job Classes titled [Spell Saint] grants him a passive Skill known as [Disciple of Selûne] that allows him to naturally recover MP twice as fast under moonlight. So the Redeemed won't run out of juice anytime soon as long as he sticks to physical attacks.

There's a reason why power wasn't everything in YGGDRASIL.

The Dragon seemed like a mountain, taking all those flaming hits head on without flinching, but his mind was a chaos. He was thinking as fast as he could but no path to victory could form in his head, he was stronger than before, more resourceful than before, smarter than before, but the Dragon Emperor's filth is still so superior to him! How? Why?

Another contrast with his hated enemy, who gave the appearance of hitting blindly and randomly like a berserk at great speeds, but each blow was calculated, Asmodel was hitting joints and any wound openings he could find. Also, he was using [Life Essence] to keep track of his enemy's HP because he needs to end this quickly. His friends could be anywhere, he has to look for them as soon as possible.

But Sulte'rioj didn't gave up, he still had a single ace up his sleeve. All Dragons in the Alliance spent centuries crafting and refining a single Wild Magic Spell that could destroy Players, or at the very least give them the edge in combat against them. If he uses it, his trump card, the he will destroy the filth for sure!

It has a huge price of course, not only a good chunk of his Souls, but also all the blood he has left needs to be the Spell's fuel if he wants it to work properly. Had he saved his blood and Souls reserves instead of wasting them, then would've several opportunities to use his trump card, but in the state he is now, he only has one shot.

He cursed his lack of foresight despite his long planning, but there's no way to undo what he has done. Sulte'rioj decided to use his trump card against the filth to end this once and for all, but first he needs to find a way to immobilize his enemy.

Before he could begin to formulate a plan to do that however, Asmodel stopped his attacks and flew away from Sulte'rioj, he was flapping his wings to remain afloat a good distance in front of the Dragon. What's going on? What is the filth-? No time for that, he's in one spot without moving, now's the chance!

"[Maximize Magic - Hold of Rib]!"

After encasing the filth in a cage of bones, Sulte'rioj opened his mouth wide to reveal all his jagged teeth, his maw spread horizontally too, and the long serpentine tongue that was always flailing around twisted into a spring shape before remaining still.

_'Uh? What's that? Some breath attack? But Undead Dragons don't have breath attacks no more, so what...?...!...'_

Asmodel felt a primal fear creeping to him. He didn't knew what it was, nor why he was feeling this uneasiness, but the Dragon was doing something big, something powerful, that much was certain.

He saw the previously absorbed blood slowly coming out of the Dragon's body in mist form before crystallizing itself in the center of the spring-shaped tongue. Purple smoke coming out of nowhere was also slowly solidifying in the tongue's center and mixing with the crystallized blood, it was taking the shape of something resembling a cross between an arrowhead and a bullet.

_'What is that!? That's no breath, so what is it? No Dragon in YGGDRASIL could do that. Perhaps...maybe I should...no, NO! Asmodel you idiot! This is no game, it's real! Don't fight to have fun! Fight to win! To live!'_

How many amateurish mistakes Asmodel did back during his gaming days because he simply longed for a challenge? Purposely prolonging fights against unknown enemies was the most common mistake he did, more often than not costing him 5 Levels of his build and his then equipped gear when said mysterious Monster turned the tables on him.

But if this Dragon kills him, then he's dead. End of story. No prolonging this fight, Asmodel will end it here and now! He forcefully broke the cage of ribs with his brute strength and used a bind of his own.

"[Skill - Jailer of Limbo]!"

Spectral chains came out of Asmodel's body, and from below the ground, and from the skies too. The countless chains surrounded Sulte'rioj and, once his entire torso was enveloped, the chains took the shape of a huge spectral cage, a cage that lacked doors of any sort to prevent the prisoner from escaping heavenly judgement. It sounds like a superior version of his Redeemed Racial Skill [Bind of Repent] because that's exactly what it is, the absolute most powerful Job Class Asmodel has in his build is [Purgatory (Celestial)] that had maxing out his Racial Classes as a requisite, and to have a minimum of 95 overall Levels on his build.

[Jailer of Limbo] is one of the Skills that [Purgatory (Celestial)] gives him access to, and it surpasses [Bind of Repent] in the sense that it requires no MP to sustain even if he uses it against multiple opponents, and Asmodel can still move and use Spells and Skills while it's active too! Previously, he could use [Jailer of Limbo] against Bosses in order to secure a certain victory for his comrades of Seraphim, but the shitty devs reached the conclusion that such thing was way too overpowered, so Asmodel's most powerful binding Skill was patched, leaving him no choice but to use the inferior [Bind of Repent] during Boss battles.

Truth was, binding up a Boss indefinitely so you can smack it till it dies just like that really was kinda boring, so part of Asmodel thinks that the developers made the right choice. But during the time that Bosses could be easily defeated was also when Seraphim could amass great amounts of rare data drops in a short amount of time, so his comrades of Seraphim were genuinely congratulating Asmodel for his investment to the Guild.

He never got to try it against a World-class Enemy before the patch, though, now THAT would've been something worth of being remembered as one of the greatest glitches in gaming. Asmodel would've been famous too.

Okay that's enough, no more reminiscing. Time for Asmodel to use his own trump card. Even though his previous Skill was meant to immobilize his target, the Dragon was still charging his unknown attack somehow, but much slower than before, so no time to lose.

"[Skill - Trial of Kabbalah]!"

This is the Skill that [Purgatory (Celestial)] grants its user after being maxed out at 5 Levels, basically when the Player reaches Level 100. And just like [Jailer of Limbo] this Skill, too, was effective against Bosses before being patched by the devs.

It has a 77 hours cooldown and only works if the target has Negative Karma as well as having its HP reduced to half of its total amount, that's why Asmodel was keeping track of it with [Life Essence] and stopped his chain of attacks after reducing the Dragon's health to low enough amounts.

The sky turned gold, the earth was enveloped in clouds, and 12 stars descended from the heavens, 10 of those surrounded the Dragon Lord, 1 remained upwards in the sky, and the last one buried itself underground right below Sulte'rioj.

11 of them took abstract humanoid shapes.

These beings aren't neither Angels nor Demons, they belong to the Race that predated both, the Race of their forebears, these 11 beings are Mal'akh.

The first one to take shape was the one in the sky.

His name is Da'at, The Emptiness.

This Mal'akh is a conduit through which the 10 Emanations can make themselves manifest.

The Emanations of the Tree of Life, the structure by which the Nine Realms hang. All matters of order emerge from the Tree's 10 branches, and within the root is where the world of mortals and immortals first took form.

Keter, Emanation of the Crown. The first utterance who sits at the very top of the Tree.

Chokhmah, Emanation of Wisdom. The second utterance who is the embodiment of all consciousness.

Binah, Emanation of Knowledge. The third utterance who is the light that leads the path away from ignorance.

Chesed, Emanation of Empathy. The fourth utterance who embodies the incomprehensible craving for love and kindness all living beings share.

Gevurah, Emanation of Judgement. The fifth utterance who is the invisible force that divides everyone apart.

Tifiret, Emanation of Beauty. The sixth utterance who sits at the very center of the Tree and brings beautiful balance to the universe.

Netzah, Emanation of Endurance. The seventh utterance that seats near the bottom of the Tree to sustain its infinite weight.

Hod, Emanation of Submission. The eighth utterance that always abides to the forces of natural order.

Yesod, Emanation of Life. The ninth utterance who is the fountain that connects the spiritual with the physical.

Malkuth, Emanation of The Kingdom. The tenth and final utterance that seats at the absolute bottom of the Tree to connect with the world of mankind.

All 10 of the Emanations stood still, silently glaring the Dragon Lord to pass judgement for his actions towards the beings of this world and towards himself too. And after 7 seconds their verdict is:

Guilty.

That's good, had Sulte'rioj been found innocent by the Judges of the Sephira then the Skill would've been cancelled, the cooldown extended to 88 hours, and Asmodel would've been penalized with half of his HP cut and a 30 seconds paralysis.

After hearing the verdict, the star that buried itself into the ground begun to flourish like a tree. It grew so fast and big that the main body of the Dragon was totally enveloped by the trunk, while the branches and leaves extending upwards eclipsed even that. So powerful was the wood binding that the mysterious attack taking shape in Sulte'rioj mouth finally stopped forming. It seems the mysterious attack was near completion, but no matter.

[Jailer of Limbo] was needed no more so Asmodel deactivated it.

This tree wasn't a Mal'akh like the other 11 beings, this was a physical manifestation of the Tree of Life itself, the eternal being that predates everything, even the universe is an infant in comparison.

Ein Sof, The Infinite.

The 10 Emanations lifted their right arms upwards and Ein Sof begun to emit a golden glow, then flared up with Divine energy that shot a massive light beam towards the sky.

Asmodel could hear the painful wails of Sulte'rioj who was being scorched by primal flames, and the nearly formed attack in his mouth broke apart and shattered too.

"WHYYYYYYYYYYY!? WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY DID I LOST TO THE FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITH!?"

Such were the final words of the Vampiric Dragon Lord. And after what seemed like a neverending instant, the trial was finally over.

Da'at The Emptiness, the 10 Emanations, and Ein Sof The Infinite disappeared. They left behind the completely scorched body of a Dragon, a body that little by little crumbled away into stardust.

If it weren't for the disgusting appearance of the Dragon-lamprey, then such sight would've been kinda beautiful.

Asmodel remained alert though. He held his staves firm and attuned his senses to the surroundings, and after a few seconds he finally lowered his guard.

"So that was it? A Monster that simply bypassed defenses and had very powerful Spells with absurd amounts of HP?"

What a letdown. Asmodel couldn't believe the fact that the fight was over now, since this Dragon was SO hyped up by the inhabitants of this world.

_'Back in YGGDRASIL, fights against Level 100 Dragons could take even a full hour! Is this the best this world has? Maaaaaan...well, I guess it's for the best. If we are unrivaled here, then our peaceful lives can be guaranteed. We just need to make sure that Momonga never sees us as enemies. Yes, my friends and I...'_

His friends. Back when Sulte'rioj was pushing him around he was really worried for them, but after figuring out his opponent and securing his victory, he realizes now that he has nothing to worry about. Even if the other Dragons are just as strong or stronger than Sulte'rioj, his friends are more than capable of beating them. Even Teinu and Meitro will be alright, Asmodel feels.

_'I should look for them regardless, Ragnar and Teinu need physical sustenance and rest, if they were also teleported to isolated locations then they would need help either way.'_

Plus, he still has remnants of that Dragon's body fluids on his body and armor. He would like a good shower ASAP.

As he was about to return his staves into his inventory and deactivate his buffing Spells and Skills, however, he was startled by a male voice that came out of nowhere.

"Amazing, that was amazing, you are amazing! Truly, Mr. Player, you are everything I hoped you were!"

His PK mode escalated from 0 to 11 in an instant, he begun to quickly scout his surroundings, but saw nothing.

"Who are you!? Where are you!? What do you want!?"

"Oh, you can't see me? I hoped you could at least do that much. But I guess it can't be helped, you have no Thief Classes do you? No matter, not like I intended to remain hidden."

After he said that, the unknown individual deactivated his cloaking Spell, Asmodel now realized that this man used [Perfect Unknowable] to hide from him. Yet another amateurish move from his part, since he has eye gear that allows him to easily see through that 9th Tier Spell, but he didn't considered to use it.

But, Asmodel was now too tense to reprimand himself. The man in front of him...why is he here!? How did he find him in this place!? What's going on!?

"Now, do forgive my rude behavior Mr. Player, allow me introduce myself, my name is-"

"Shura Ulain Gown."

Interrupted Asmodel with a combat-ready tone.

"...yes, that's my name..."

The 5 Players that recently arrived to this world made the effort to collect information about the world, and their most useful source of knowledge so far has been the tomes of the Church of Nazarick, which they read back when they were staying in a humble Demi-Human village.

Among the many things they learned, one of the most shocking was the fact that Momonga, who this world calls Ainz Ooal Gown, somehow conceived 4 children (2 sons and 2 daughters) with 2 different female NPC, one of those NPC was from Nazarick too. The one standing in front of Asmodel was Momonga's firstborn, the Crown Prince of the world-spanning Sorcerer Kingdom.

"What do you want? You here to kill me? That Vampire Dragon was your friend?"

"No, hehe, of course not. That Dragon was a monster, why would I be friends with a monster?"

"You tell me. After all, what you did during the Unholy War makes me hard to believe that you aren't a monster yourself."

"Oh my, you surely put the effort to learn as much as you could about history, uh? You really are great."

Said Shura while slowly clapping his hands.

Decades ago, the Crown Prince was the leading figure of a political and religious movement known as the expansion campaign, and the climax of said movement is now remembered as the Unholy War, a conflict involving an alliance of those who refused to accept the doctrines and authority of the Church of Nazarick declaring war against Shura and those he led during said campaign.

Obviously, the Prince had the full support of the Tomb of Nazarick, so the conflict was barely a "war", Unholy Slaughter would be a more accurate name. Not only because of the huge power disparity that led into a full and complete stomp, but also because of the morally questionable actions that the Prince carried out during the climax of the war.

"The things you did to those heroes...the way you killed them...are you sure that you aren't a monster yourself? Oh 'benevolent' Prince?"

"You one of those? The ones my father called goody-two-shoes? Well, I think that we won't get along if that's the case."

"Enough chitchat, just tell me what you want, I have things to do."

"Right, right. Your 4 friends, no? Don't worry, they're faring pretty well, you all are really something else after all, truly, beings that rival my father. Words can't express how much I looked forward to see one of you with my own eyes."

Asmodel was getting a very weird feeling out of this, the man in front of him was an adult, yet his words, tone, and mannerisms seemed like those of a kid in a candy store.

But right now he has to find a way to make Shura tell him where his friends are, that's his sole priority for the moment. But as he was about to ask, the ground begun to violently shake.

"Ah, AH! This is, this must be it! That bastard of Tsa was right! He's waking up! Oh man he's waking up! This is it! Sorry Mr. Player but I have to go, I hope we meet again!"

"Wait, WAIT! Where are my...he's gone."

Shura teleported away just like that, Asmodel still has no idea where his friends are, nor has any idea why it's trembling, or why the Prince was so excited. So many things he doesn't knows.

"He was right in front of me! Why didn't I use [Lopsided Duel]? Asmodel you idiot..."

And after a minute or so the earthquake stopped, is it over? Asmodel begun to slowly relax, but then...

"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!"

A heaven-shattering Dragon roar reverberated throughout the entire continent. It sounded like 2 different beasts screaming at the same time.

What was that? What's going on with this world? So many questions were overflowing Asmodel's mind, but a single question was far more persistent than all the others.

_'Where are you guys...'_

**The Wild Magic Spell that Sulte'rioj intended to use but couldn't was his special trump card, [Crimson Drainer]. Basically, is a projectile made out of blood, mana, and Souls that instantly drains the full HP of the target and transfers it back to Sulte'rioj once it hits. A one-shot kill of sorts, just like the trump cards of all 6 Dragons composing the Alliance.**

**So, what would have happened to Asmodel (who lacked a World-class Item) if such Spell successfully landed a strike? Well, guess we will never know. Haha.**

**Sulte'rioj=Marlsin'er**

**Epithet**

**[Vampiric Dragon Lord] (Formerly the Elemental Dragon Lord)**

**Racial Levels - 55**

**10 - Dragonling**

**10 - Young**

**10 - Adult**

**10 - Old**

**05 - Elder**

**05 - Ancient**

**05 - True Vampire (Dragon)**

**Job Levels - 45**

**10 - Primitive Caster**

**10 - World Connector**

**08 - Blood Drinker (Dragon)**

**07 - Corpse Eater**

**10 - Blood Mage (Dragon)**

**Total Level - 100**

**The limit of this Dragon Lord was actually 6th Tier, the only way he could use 7th Tier was through the use of the meta magic enhancement unique to the New World: Over Magic. As Asmodel noted during the fight, such enhancement didn't existed in YGGDRASIL, it was created by the mages of the New World in order to be able to reach the higher Tiers of magic they are normally unable to reach because of their low Level Caps.**

**The reason Sulte'rioj even knew about such thing in the first place was because, unlike most Dragons, he wasn't above learning new things from the "polluted slave Races" if those things allowed him to become stronger. He was an odd one, this Dragon. However, it was because of his unusually curious nature that he was the Dragon Lord with the greatest amounts of knowledge out of the 6 in the Alliance.**

**One thing I wanna clarify here, Sulte'rioj was just 2 Levels above Cure Elim, so does that mean that he was just "slightly stronger" than Cure Elim? No. Absolutely not.**

**The difference between Sulte'rioj and Cure Elim is HUGE. Even if Sulte'rioj was a few Levels lower than Cure Elim, he would still be able to defeat the younger Vampire Dragon if they were to fight. Not only because of his superior knowledge and genuine battle experience against the Greed Kings, but also because he was actually able to create a good level of synergy in his build.**

**As a reviewer pointed out, Players are able to create perfect Class synergy, allowing them to make the most out of their builds. Not a single Level goes wasted. Granted, as a New World native Sulte'rioj was still unable to create a synergy on par with Players, but he certainly made the most out of his Undead nature, innate vampiric powers, and ability to use Tier Magic, he was full leagues ahead of Cure Elim.**

**In fact, the only reason Cure Elim even became a Vampire in the first place was because he replicated the Wild Magic Spell Sulte'rioj created by accident back when he tried to revitalize himself after the Greed Kings left him at death's door. Cure Elim was a shameless copycat unable to come up with his own ideas to become stronger, unlike Sulte'rioj who was both intelligent and innovative, not to mention cautious too, since he knew that a victory against Ainz would be extremely difficult, hence why he was biding his time until he figured out how to safely destroy him.**

**That was also a reason why Players were unequal, even if virtually everyone was Level 100 in the game, some were much stronger than others.**

**And with this, only 4 Dragon Lords left. I'm also working in a little Spinoff prequel that will chronicle the birth and childhood of the Crown Prince, Shura Ulain Gown. But the Prologue isn't ready yet, it's very likely that the first Chapter will be released after the first Arc of the main story (this one) is concluded, but we will see.**

**Next Chapter, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord. **


	13. Chapter 13: Deep Darkness Dragon Lord

**There has always been power disparity between members of the same Race. Some will always be stronger than others, and the Dragons were no exception. While all used to have the inborn ability to use Wild Magic, some were always fated to be stronger than others.**

**Dirvelek=Yvoin always stood in the strongest side of the mighty spectrum. Since his Dragonling days he was recognized as a prodigy, and both his power and pride continued to grow with his age. Many Dragons of his generation and even older ones challenged him to death fights multiple times, but he was always the triumphant one. Always.**

**Eventually, Dirvelek reached the conclusion that either he himself was a superior being that transcended all Dragons, or he was the sole true Dragon of the world, while everyone else were frail creatures merely resembling Dragons.**

**For a long time that was his mindset, he even started to believe that he should be the rightful Dragon Emperor. So convinced Dirvelek was of such thing that he visited the abode of the draconic royal family in order to properly challenge the Dragon Emperor to a death fight, but was instead welcomed by the Crown Prince of the Empire, the firstborn of the Dragon Emperor.**

**The Prince challenged Dirvelek to a mock battle, telling him that he was just another Dragon who was drunk in his own arrogance, and needed a proper lesson to learn his place. Dirvelek, predictably, didn't enjoyed the fact that someone was looking down on him, he verbally insulted the Crown Prince, and promised to kill him for his insults in this so called "mock" battle.**

**The Crown Prince, too, was irritated by Dirvelek's attitude, so he added yet another layer of offense against him. It's not him who will fight Dirvelek, but instead his little brother, the second Prince of the Empire and youngest son of the Dragon Emperor, Tsaindorcus=Vaision.**

**Tsaindorcus, obviously, was weaker than the Crown Prince, so Dirvelek was beyond furious at this point. He swore to slaughter the entire royal family, starting with the second Prince, but to his traumatizing shock, he was no match for Tsaindorcus. The young Prince defeated Dirvelek without giving him a chance to even leave a scratch on his platinum scales, he who was an invincible champion suffered his first defeat.**

**If Tsaindorcus was this strong, how powerful was his older brother the Crown Prince? Worse even, Dirvelek couldn't even begin to conceive the power of their father, the Dragon Emperor. In any case, the young Prince spared his life, so he left the abode of the royal family completely defeated and humiliated.**

**He, the one who always stood at the top of Dragonkind, the one who reminded others that there's always someone far stronger than you, now had to accept such thing himself. The 2 Dragon Princes, the Dragon Emperor, the filth that the Emperor summoned, all those beings that surpassed him, beings that he would never defeat no matter what...**

**Those beings, they can go to hell for all Dirvelek cares.**

**The whole world and everyone in it can go to hell. **

Chapter 13: Deep Darkness Dragon Lord

He was silently and carefully analyzing his surroundings. Anchelo was teleported, that was certain, but why? A trap? His senses were dulled in Human form so he immediately returned to his true form and switched his clothes with his usual gear.

The place he's currently in is very dark, but he was [Dark Vision] so that's no issue for him. It was a cave, a very big one for sure, stalagmites and stalactites everywhere, and a few fungi here and there. However, the sheer size and form of the cave seemed unnatural, just like the lack of ecosystems were.

_'It's mostly cylindrical in shape, there are no small tunnels connecting anywhere either. It seems something very big forced its way through here, but it was a long time ago considering the size of the stalagmites and stalactites that developed over time, the growth of the fungi too.'_

Anchelo was slowly but surely advancing forward, plain common sense says that you won't get anywhere just standing still, so he begun to cautiously move. While doing that, he was also reviewing the last seconds that transpired before being thrown into the situation he's currently in.

_'The others aren't here, so that means that either we were all transported to different locations each, or only I was taken away. That Daifuku fellow used a device of sorts taken from a pocket space, is he a being from YGGDRASIL like we are? Were we wrong to assume that only we have Item Boxes? Is he a Demi-God or whatever they call the children of the NPCs? He wasn't the Crown Prince, Shura Ulain Gown, nor the other Prince, Nishi Kenrai Gown, so he wasn't related to Momonga.'_

Anchelo has an eidetic memory, so he's currently revising all his accumulated knowledge of this world so far. The tomes of the Church of Nazarick had info about the 4 children of Momonga and also of the multiple Demi-Gods that his NPC had with natives of this world. He doesn't recalls Daifuku's appearance among the illustrations depicted on the tomes, so Anchelo isn't sure of who or what Daifuku really is.

Perhaps the tomes he and his friends read were outdated? It was a very rural village.

_'I should just focus on figuring out how to get out of this place, who knows how far away I am from the Demi-Human city.'_

After 10 minutes or so of walking, Anchelo found a dead end, he couldn't go further, so he turned around and begun to walk towards the opposite direction, a bit faster this time.

But...something was wrong.

He felt as if he was going deeper into whatever this place is. Since the opposite path lead nowhere, then this should be the path to an exit, yet it didn't felt that way for some reason. Anchelo shrugged it off and kept moving forward, he was running now. But the faster he ran, the deeper he felt himself going in.

_'What is this, some trick?'_

The Half-Celestial spread his colorful peacock-feathered wings and lunged himself at high speeds. He ignored the pesky sensation of going deeper and flew as fast as his wings could, and after a few seconds his enhanced eyesight saw a light ahead of the huge tunnel. But as he allowed the sensation of relief overwhelm him, his angelic senses exploded with danger signals.

Anchelo stopped just short of the light he saw, turned around, and flew away from it, but at that moment numerous dark tendrils came out from the light and enveloped him, holding him tight. With tremendous force, the tendrils pulled him into the light, a light created with [Shadow Illusion] by the resident of this massive underground place.

As it turns out, both the dead end and the light Anchelo saw were mere illusions, the light in particular was hiding the entrance of a huge and spacious cave that served as the personal residence of the one that is currently pulling Anchelo towards him. The Cleric himself was surrounded by darkness that even his senses couldn't perceive through, so he used the 9th Tier Spell [Anti-Magic Field] to make such darkness disappear, but to no avail.

_'What's this? This darkness is magic, no? Even 10th Tier Spells disappear with [Anti-Magic Field].'_

And if that wasn't enough, Anchelo's gear should prevent anything and anyone from restraining him against his will, both physical and magical prisons should be useless. So what is this darkness? He tried something else.

"[Skill - Aura of The Sun]!"

This Holy Skill enveloped the devoted in light, hindering magical darkness and hurting surrounding Undead too. It wasn't as effective as Anchelo hoped, but it succeeded in weakening the darkness surrounding him, slowly evaporating the mysterious magic restraining him.

The dark tendrils violently tossed Anchelo aside, making him collide with a wall and forming a huge crater on it. But that didn't hurt, his full plate Divine-class armor [Gabriel] is beyond first-rate, there's no way something like that would scratch it.

Anchelo exited the crater and spread his wings to remain airborne. He was about to question his assailant, but was shocked by what he saw.

"You..."

This...that's...why is...Daifuku must've known where Anchelo was teleported to. He brought him here on purpose, no doubt.

"Uh? What's this? Your face and tone say that you are surprised to see me."

The Dark Dragon had an anxious yet relaxed voice. It was powerful too.

"My, face...?"

"What? You think that those things, those weapons, you filth cover yourselves with is so impressive? You can cover your face, but you can't hide from my eyes."

_'Did he just call me filth?'_

It seems that this Dragon Lord can somehow see through his panoply, and Anchelo has a good idea how.

"Let me guess, Wild Magic?"

"Oh! You know about that? Have you met other Dragons? No, wait, Dragons can no longer use Wild Magic...then, perhaps you met other Dragon Lords like me? You fought them? You...killed them?"

How talkative, this Dragon.

"No, I haven't seen other Dragon Lords like you. I haven't fought nor killed anyone of your kind, nor have any interest in doing so."

"Why not? You're the Dragon Emperor's filth, are you not? Always so self-righteous and proud of yourselves, champions of 'justice' who fight for the weak. Those 8, that one that challenged me time ago, you filth are all the same."

Judging from his words, the way he talks about that someone who fought against him time ago, the Dragon calls Players like Anchelo "Dragon Emperor's filth" for some reason. And who are those 8 individuals he mentioned? The Dragon just kept talking, so he couldn't ask.

"So isn't the fact that I'm a Dragon reason enough to fight me? I'm 'evil' you know, I massacred every single creature that lived in this place, and I felt nothing. You seem like an Angel of sorts, doesn't that makes you mad? Makes you wanna kill me? Avenge those innocents? Come on. Is that positive aura enveloping your Soul just decoration?"

Something feels off, this Dragon is provoking Anchelo. Why? The shadows were bending around the entire battlefield as the Dragon continued to talk, his angelic senses were warning him again.

"Listen, Dragon. I don't know you, and you don't know me, your desire to incite a fight is beyond me. Whatever these past 'filth' did has nothing to do with me, and killing you won't bring back the dead. If you wish a confrontation, find someone else. I have no reasons to fight you."

The fact that this specific Dragon was capable of killing a Player like him centuries ago is raising a few alarms too. Fighting without much information is too risky.

Truth is, Anchelo did want to fight these Dragons, he's one of the few people of Earth that had a genuine sense of justice, and the idea of powerful beings trampling on the weak does make his blood boil. But back then he was with his friends, he was going to propose ideas to fight these Dragons together, all 5 as a team.

But Anchelo is alone, is it reasonable to fight by himself?

"No reason, to fight...? Hahahahaha! Don't give me that, filth! Do you expect me to believe that beings as powerful as you don't enjoy to fight? To crush your enemies' flesh and bones? Why did you became so strong in the first place? Beings like us don't need reasons to fight..."

The shadows were moving faster now, and a strange membrane covered the floor. Anchelo took out [Metatron] from his inventory, it seems he will fight alone after all.

"...we need reasons to NOT fight!"

Long and thick spears made out of darkness manifested everywhere, every single one aimed at Anchelo. He used the 8th Tier Spell [Whirl of Fangs] to summon a whirling barrier of pure force around him, spectral continuously-biting snakes formed part of the barrier too, force serpents that easily ripped apart the dark spears.

"Great! As expected of filth! Now try this."

The Dragon dematerialized himself into the shadows, then out of nowhere numerous gaping Dragon maws came out of the ground, walls, and roof. Anchelo used another 8th Tier Spell named [Bastion of Good] to surround himself in a nimbus of light, a Divine Spell that usually extends in a 6 meters radius in all directions, warding all those inside it from the attacks and magic of evil creatures. However, Anchelo can concentrate those 6 meters into a very small area to increase the shield's potency even more, very useful when he fights alone.

The shadow maws attempted to bite, but to no avail, the 2 Spells shielding the Half-Celesrial were impenetrable. It seems this Dragon really does have Negative Karma after all.

One of the maws spoke nonchalantly.

"You're amazing, the previous filth was hurt by something this weak, you know."

Another maw spoke after that.

"Weird, isn't it? How there's always disparity between members of the same species."

And a third maw followed suit.

"I never understood it, you know, how some will always be weaker or stronger than others no matter what. I simply gave up!"

Anchelo doesn't knows what the Dragon Lord is talking about, nor cares.

"You talk too much, Dragon. If you keep attacking me without provocation nor justification, then you will leave me no choice but to fight back!"

"Not very talkative, uh."

The shadow maws disappeared, and the Dragon's body reappeared again, this time sitting on the roof, his appendages sticking on it like a gecko.

"The previous filth was prating sooooo much. Talking about how he will destroy me in the name of the innocents I killed when taking residence here. Asking me how I could do such thing, as if that was his problem. You filth are all the same, putting your noses in things that are none of your business. You should all just...drop dead."

The Dragon unstuck himself from the roof and used his wings to slow his fall.

"You said we had no reason to fight, no? Then how about this: I hate your filthy kind, you're an eyesore, and I want to kill you because of that. That's good enough right?"

"...you're insane."

"What if I am?"

"In don't want to fight."

"But you want to live?"

Without any warning, the Dragon opened his mouth and fired a purple breath attack. Anchelo still had his [Whirl of Fangs] and [Bastion of Good] active, but the breath attack somehow bypassed those Spells and even his Divine-class armor too! The amethyst fire was burning his heavenly flesh, forcing the Cleric to teleport out of the way, but the Dragon simply moved his breath towards his direction, making the Half-Celestial fly away from it as fast as he could.

Anchelo's patience eventually ran out, so he counterattacked with a [Purifying Javelin] that pierced the breath attack, burying itself in the insides of the Dragon's throat.

"That hurt, fucking filth! Now we're talking!"

At that moment, 4 replicas of the Dragon made out of shadows appeared on the battlefield. They were flawless copies, complete with even the soft glowing purple eyes. Anchelo, however, wasn't impressed.

"Pfft, a self-replicating Monster. [Triplet Maximize Widen Magic - Uriel]!"

This 10th Tier Divine Fire Spell scales up with Karma. If the Caster is evil-aligned, then this Spell will be weaker than even 1st Tier Spells, but if you have maxed out 500 Karma, then [Uriel] will be on par with even Super-Tier Spells! Obviously, the MP cost is high, but it doesn't has the cooldown of Super-Tier Spells, so to good-aligned Players like Anchelo this is the best Spell at their disposal, since [Reality Slash] is an Arcane Spell unavailable to Divine Casters.

The enhanced Fire Spell exploded with tremendous force, severely burning both the real Dragon and his replicas. Anchelo also took notice of something extremely odd, the fires were very luminous, yet the massive cave they're currently in didn't lighted up even a bit, the darkness surrounding them didn't dissipated at all.

"Yes! Just like that! Fight me like you mean it! Hahahahaha!"

The Dragon was seemingly enjoying this far too much. He and his clones were jumping towards him to crush the Half-Celestial with their jaws, but each time Anchelo was skillfully using [Teleportation] to escape their reach at the very last moment.

He reached out to his Item Box with his free hand and took out his Legendary-class crossbow [Tzadqiel]. Thanks to [Life Essence] Anchelo can clearly tell apart the clones from the original, the replicas always have much less HP than the main Monster, so he will use his long-range weapon to finish off the weakened lesser copies so he can fully focus on the pesky Dragon itself.

It's true that Anchelo was one of the best Players of YGGDRASIL, and the second strongest member of Seraphim, but he didn't had many Divine-class weapons. His full plate silver armor, his ivory mace, and his golden shortspear [Michael] are the sole Divine-class Equipment he made, outside of those the Divine-class Items under his possession are either gifts from his comrades, spoils of raids, or Items he won in contests, tournaments, and the like. But that isn't because he neglected his gear, quite the opposite, Anchelo invested all his time and effort to min-max his main weapons and armor as much as he possibly could, using the very best and most rare materials, the hardest to obtain Data Crystals, pushing his mace, shortspear, and armor beyond the normal limits of Divine-class gear.

If there's a weapon tier that exists between Divine-class Items and World-class Items, then [Metatron] and [Michael] as well as [Gabriel] would belong to it.

In any case, the numerous rapid blue bolts fired by [Tzadqiel] made quick work of the weakened shadow clones, once again leaving only the Dark Dragon and him.

"You're truly amazing, the previous filth needed considerable effort to take down my [False Umbra Soul] Spell, yet you destroyed it so easily. You're great!"

This Dragon truly seems deranged, he reminds Anchelo of those freaks of UnderKings that enjoyed to create chaos and destruction just for the sadistic pleasure of it.

"Before fighting for real, let's exchange names, shall we? You're far too great to simply address as filth."

The Dragon was holding back it seems. Yet again, so was Anchelo.

"I am Dirvelek, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord. Who is my enemy?"

"...I am Anchelo, Herald of the Archangel Ananiel."

"Ananiel? Your master? This Ananiel sent you here? Oh! If I kill you, will he come and avenge you? He's a filth of the Dragon Emperor just like you?"

"Not quite."

Ananiel was one of the Ten Archangels of the Sephira, the strongest group of Super Bosses in the entirety of YGGDRASIL.

Chiefs of tens. Clothed in great power, the choirs of light that dance throughout the boundless existence to sing the song of the cosmos, these Angels came to the Nine Realms offering guidance and knowledge, but brought only destruction instead.

Samyaza, Angel of Pride, King of Kings, Giver of Names, Father of Giants. First of the Watchers who descended to the mortal worlds and leader of the Ten Archangels.

Sariel, Angel of the Moon, the Lone Seeker. Second of the Watchers who perches himself atop the heavens to observe and learn about everything below him.

Kokabiel, Angel of the Stars, the Burning Light. Third of the Watchers who owns and commands the very heavenly bodies that adorn the sky.

Azazel, Angel of Sacrifices, the Fallen Star. Fourth of the Watchers who takes all the pain and punishment his Angel brethren are meant to receive onto himself.

Gadreel, Angel of War, the Silent Sentinel. Fifth of the Watchers who bleeds and burns, heals his wounds, and then bleeds and burns yet again through endless combat.

Ananiel, Angel of Storms, the Singer of Dark Songs. Sixth of the Watchers and harbinger of destruction, tempest given form.

Bezaliel, Angel of Shadows, the Night Walker. Seventh of the Watchers who can fade and disappear even from memory, even from dreams.

Zaqiel, Angel of Purity, the Cleansing Fire. Eighth of the Watchers who dances through the night to illuminate the dark paths.

Samshiel, Angel of the Eclipse, the Rekindled Flame. Ninth of the Watchers and original Reaper, harvester of the Souls of the departed.

Asbeel, Angel of Ruin, the Dust Bringer. Last of the Watchers, embodiment of the senescence that brings everything and everyone to their inevitable, final demise.

These World-class Enemies surpassed even the Eight Dragons, Lords of the Seven Deadly Sins, and Five Rainbow Buddhas. Their defeat by the hands of Seraphim was what catapulted the angelic Guild into fame and prestige. Many Players Race-changed into Celestials just to get the chance of joining their ranks.

In any case, as a Cleric Anchelo is a Divine Magic Caster, and those receive their power directly from a Deity according to fluff. And in YGGDRASIL, any Boss can serve as a God that gives magic to Players, from event Bosses like Cainabel to World-class Enemies like Ananiel, any Boss is good enough.

_'If my magic works just fine here, does it mean that Ananiel exists in this world and is giving me power? Do metaphysical Gods exist here? Maybe if I could ask Momonga...'_

"Well, whatever. I don't care who or what this Ananiel is, let's just fight to the death, Anchelo! [Summon Shadow]!"

"! You're a dark bender!?"

The Skill Dirvelek just used is a signature ability of the [Shadowdancer] Job Class, those individuals that learned to manipulate the powers hidden in the everpresent darkness. [Summon Shadow] in particular calls forth several incorporeal Undead Monsters to fight alongside the summoner, their power scales up to the Player's Level and stats, and the limit is usually around 5 Undead summoned each time that Skill is used. As incorporeal beings, only magic and enchanted weapons can hurt them.

But the current situation was far from usual.

Around 30 Undead took shape, each of them was abnormally large too, many times bigger than any Undead called forth by [Summon Shadow] should be, and they seemed to be half-incorporeal half-solid Monsters. The draconic characteristics of the Undead were very odd too, it seems that [Shadowdancer] works differently in the build of a Dragon, or Dirvelek has a unique Job Class that just happens to resemble [Shadowdancer].

For whatever reason, the amount of enemies is much bigger than before, a Legendary-class crossbow may not be enough to swiftly eliminate them all, and he has no intention of wasting all his MP and Skills on mere summons, so Anchelo will use summons of his own, fight numbers with numbers.

"[Armageddon - Good]"

This 10th Tier Spell will call forth an angelic army to counter the dragon-like Undead. Anchelo does have passive Skills to buff the Angels he summons, but he's nowhere near close to Meitro when it comes to strengthening Monsters. The Undead Dirvelek summoned may indeed be much stronger than usual too, but they're still Undead, his Angels will have the Racial and numerical advantage, and because of their nature as Celestials the Angels' weapons and attacks are enchanted by default.

Numerous large golden flames surrounded by blueish-violet lightning manifested above Anchelo, and after flaring up for a while, Angels descended from the Heavens.

The first to appear were 128 Angel Affinity, Level 10 winged Warriors covered in shiny full plate armor and wielding ruby spears. The draconic Undead were much bigger and stronger however, the fact that they were overwhelmed by their natural anathema 4 to 1 didn't bulged them a bit. But they were just meant to distract the Undead, Anchelo's sole target is Dirvelek.

But if the Angels are defeated too quickly, then he will have 31 enemies to face by himself, so Anchelo will be using AoE attacks while taking care of Dirvelek so that he isn't overwhelmed and most likely defeated.

He lunged himself towards the Dragon, quickly returned his crossbow to take out his Divine-class shortspear [Michael] from his inventory and then activated 2 Racial Skills from his [Solar] Class.

"[Skill - Crown of Brilliance]. [Skill - Burning Meadows]."

The first Skill manifested a blinding halo around Anchelo's head that expanded throughout the entire battlefield, and the second one ignited the entire floor in colorful Holy Fire, both Skills are incredibly deadly to Undead, but Dirvelek won't come out unscathed either.

It's worth noting that even with all this, the darkness surrounding the battlefield didn't dissipated at all. This darkness definitely wasn't a natural one, must likely the Dragon's Wild Magic was responsible.

However, it seems that the Racial Skills succeeded in harming the Dragon Lord as his scales were being scorched by the heat, while the brilliance of the Skills managed to temporary dazzle Dirvelek as he moved his tail to cover his eyes. Anchelo took the opportunity and merged his shortspear with another [Purifying Javelin] to hurl it with great force towards his oversized neck, and before the Dragon could even react Anchelo used [Metatron] to hammer his shortspear like a nail all the way into Dirvelek's flesh.

"Aaaaaargh! Fucking filth!"

He attempted to crush Anchelo with his claws but the Half-Celestial simply teleported above him, opened his free hand, and his shortspear instantly appeared on his hand, covered all the way to the shaft in Dragon blood.

[Michael] has a return function that allows it to use an in-built [Teleportation] Spell so it can return to Anchelo's hand every time he hurls it far away. That way, his Divine-class shortspear is lethal at both close and long ranges.

An irritated yet excited Dirvelek moved his head upwards despite his serious neck injury and addressed Anchelo with a smug all over his draconic face.

"You know how long has it been since I last bled?"

"Don't know. Don't care."

Without any warning, Anchelo used [Heavenflame Vision] to severely burn one of Dirvelek's giant eyes. The idiot Dragon was staring right at his direction after all, without moving too.

It's true that Anchelo's head was covered by a helmet, but such thing didn't weakened the power of his eye laser attack. Quite the opposite in fact, there's a reason Anchelo invested so much time perfecting [Gabriel]. Protecting him and enhancing his body Skills are just the most basic functions of his armor.

Hence, the [Heavenflame Vision] was more than enough to partially blind someone of Dirvelek's level.

"What type of imbecile who wants to fight to the death remains still and gives his enemy opportunities to attack!? If you want to die so much, why not just kill yourself!?"

Anchelo is officially sick of this Dragon Lord.

"Eh, I could kill myself, but where's the fun in that? A self-inflicted death is pathetic, I want my breath and Soul to leave my body before I even lose consciousness, to be utterly destroyed by a being much more powerful than me, that's the type of death I want to have."

The now one-eyed face of Dirvelek had a dead serious expression on it, he was telling Anchelo the truth.

"You...really are sick. If you want to die, so be it."

"A heads up, I won't make it easy for you, Anchelo. My demise will only be perfect if I give it my all."

Anchelo was silent, what was he supposed to say to that? No more words until one of us is dead, that is the new unspoken rule the 2 decided to follow.

The 30 Shadow Undead may have been severely weakened by Anchelo's powerful Skills, but they still had the advantage against the few Angels that remained, but just in time the golden flames flared up yet again, calling forth the second wave of heavenly soldiers.

64 Level 20 Archangel Accolade joined the battlefield. They were winged centaurs, with a pair of wings sprouting from the humanoid half and another pair from the equine half for a total of 4 wings. They had a heavy lance in one hand and a kite shield in another, and their entire bodies were covered with an ivory armor adorned with jewelry. These Angels functioned like Tanks, and their signature Skill [Light Lance] was a much weaker version of [Purifying Javelin].

They still weren't enough to finish off the draconic Undead, but their sturdier nature ensures that they will last longer than the Angel Affinity which only very few remained now. As long as they manage to distract the Undead, Anchelo will fully focus on Dirvelek.

Right now the Half-Celestial and the Dragon Lord were locked in aerial combat. Dirvelek's Wild Magic was potent enough to enhance his natural weapons to a level above even Legendary-class gear, had he faced a regular Player from a regular Guild (who were lucky to have even a single Divine-class weapon) Dirvelek may've won already, but unfortunately for him, his opponent is the Godly Tempest of Seraphim, even being fully stacked on Divine-class wouldn't guarantee a victory against someone of Anchelo's caliber.

But the Dragon didn't seemed to care, his attacks were being parried, his breath weapon avoided or countered by Spells, his bended darkness was being destroyed by Holy Skills, his massive body was being covered with numerous wounds, yet his demented smile never disappeared from his face.

Eventually, the flames of [Armageddon - Good] flared up yet again, and 32 Principality Ardor descended. They were Level 30 Paladins with metallic wings and bodies covered in a crimson armor, welding a great sword and a circular shield. At this point the Angel Affinity were all destroyed and only some Archangel Accolade remained, but the draconic Undead were so weakened that the Principality Ardor added enough pressure to balance the struggle despite the huge Level and stat difference between the Angels and the Shadows.

The next wave of Angels will destroy the Undead for good, meaning that Anchelo will eventually have a small angelic army to aid him against the Dragon Lord. The battle flow was tipping towards Anchelo's side, things were looking good for him, but the Cleric was only getting tense. Dirvelek's HP bar was absurd! This battle could take an hour or more to end if things keep going like this, he's not certain if his MP and Skills will held up to that point.

If Dirvelek were a generic Monster of YGGDRASIL following a predictable AI then Anchelo would be at ease, but Dirvelek is anything but. It would be a stupid mistake to assume that the Dragon Lord has a much lower intelligence than him, and all this "I want to die" mumbo-jumbo may just be a ruse to make him go easy. Anchelo is better off assuming that Dirvelek is just as smart as him, maybe more.

_'My trump card, should I use it? It may be enough to destroy this Dragon, but what about the other members of this Alliance? Won't they respond if their comrade is killed? Is that why Dirvelek is pushing me to kill him?'_

Holding back may mean death in a situation like this, but Anchelo is the type that always thinks before acting, sometimes way too much according to his guildmates of Seraphim, but he differs.

Dirvelek, on the other hand, was true to his word, he wasn't holding nothing back. His entire body flared up in amethyst fire, and his eyes became smoking black, this is a custom Wild Magic buffing Spell Dirvelek created to fight Players which he calls [Dark Drive]. Unlike most members of the Alliance, Dirvelek was and still is a true prodigy, he didn't limit himself to a single Anti-Player Spell when creating countermeasures against the Dragon Emperor's filth. The Dragon Lord's strength and speed increased, as well as his sturdiness, but luckily for Anchelo, HP regeneration isn't part of [Dark Drive]'s benefits, and neither does it add things like curse or burning damage to Dirvelek's attacks, so he just needs to adapt to his enemy's sudden power increase.

Eventually, the golden flames flared up yet again, and 8 Power Beloved joined the combat. These Level 40 Angels were Heaven's Berserks, standing 4 meters tall, wings made out of raging fire, covered in armor crafted with bestial designs, and holding massive 2-handed ivory axes. The Power Beloved joined the battle to finish off the remaining Shadow Undead which had virtually no vitality left, it took a while but they did it, all 30 Monsters called forth by Dirvelek's Skill were now destroyed without a trace, and with no more enemies left the remaining Angels joined their summoner against the Dragon Lord.

_'What's this? He's not using [Summon Shadow] again? I used 2 high-level Skills and a 10th Tier Spell to finish off the Undead, surely he would want to make me spend as much resources as possible? Can he only use that Skill once? Is the cooldown much longer for him? At the very least, he should look for ways to distract my own summons, but he isn't.'_

Anchelo was trying to rationalize his enemy's actions, or lack thereof, but the truth is that there isn't much to rationalize. Dirvelek isn't a strategist of any sort, he doesn't develops any battle plans, he just jumps forward and allows his draconic instinct to do the battling for him. He allows his mind to he consumed and overwhelmed by the heat of combat, Dirvelek is just a spectator of the spectacle that is war.

And as it turned out, the Dragon Lord had no need to distract the Angels, he didn't even needed to pay attention to them, both Anchelo and Dirvelek are such overpowered monsters that the very collateral damage of their blows was enough to destroy the Angels. The Half-Celestial felt a bit bad, but nothing could be done about that, buffing Skills to strengthen summons just weren't a priority to him, and the Angels are just too low-level. He just hopes that the next summon waves at the very least will be a nuisance to the Dragon Lord so he can find more openings to deliver fatal blows, he still isn't 100% certain that his trump card will be effective or not, Dirvelek may be a Boss in this world for all the knows.

The flames of [Armageddon - Good] once again flared up, and this time 4 Level 50 Angels descended to aid their summoner. 2 of those were Virtue Grace, and the other 2 were Virtue Glory, hawk-headed Monks that combine elemental energy with Ki to enhance their clawed attacks and deliver fatal blows. Virtue Grace is draped in flames, while Virtue Glory controls lightning, but even then they still are no match for the Dragon Lord, nor can accelerate Anchelo's victory in any meaningful way.

With their superior speed and body strength, however, they are enduring pretty well, Dirvelek can't fully focus on the 4 nimble Angels without diverting his attention away from Anchelo after all, something he definitely has no intention of doing. And since the Angels seem capable enough to avoid the Dragon's attacks and bypass his dark flame mantle to at least scratch his scales, Anchelo will give them a little boost.

"[Maximize Magic - Uriel]. [Skill - Elysium Thunder]."

The 10th Tier Spell and Solar Skill didn't only inflict huge damage to Dirvelek, but also hit the surrounding Angels as well since friendly fire protection no longer exists in this world. As elemental Monks, Virtue Grace and Virtue Glory can absorb the surrounding element of their affinity to increase their abilities further. As such, the flames and lightning didn't hurt the Angels at all, quite the opposite, the Virtues got massive stats boost from Anchelo's Spell and Skill, now they're so fast that Dirvelek has trouble following their movements, and their claws can inflict even more harm on the Dragon Lord's body now.

But still, his enemy's HP isn't plummeting fast enough, Anchelo is considering the possibility that he may in fact be a Boss, no common Monster could be this strong, even Level 100 Dragons from YGGDRASIL don't have such ridiculous amounts of health, strength, nor speed.

At that moment, Dirvelek screamed in a rage. He broke their unspoken vow of no more words just to express his anger towards his enemy.

"What the fuck! Anchelo! Why you keep throwing these pieces of shit at me!?"

He rolled himself into a fetal position and, after condensing huge amounts of dark fire around him, spread his entire body again to unleash a swallowing wave of black flames. This was the Wild Magic Spell [Life Eater] that functions as an AoE attack. The 4 Virtues were annihilated without a trace despite the stats boost, and Anchelo received huge amounts damage himself as well.

"I told you to come at me for real! Why are you holding back!? Didn't you agreed to kill me!? I will kill you myself if you aren't serious! That's what you want!?"

Anchelo remained silent for a few seconds, then he broke their unspoken vow too.

"This previous being that challenged you time ago, what was his most powerful strike like? Was it a flashy Spell or something?"

"What do you care? Eh, whatever, if by answering that I can get you to fight for real...the filth that challenged me used some weird projectile attack or something as a last ditch effort against me. It was cross-shaped, and fired it from his bladed weapon, his armor shined a bit too."

In the midst of Dirvelek's answer, the golden flames of Anchelo's Spell flared up and 2 Dominion Harmony descended. These Level 60 Angels have a huge finned tail instead of legs, big pectoral fins instead of wings connected to their heads that makes them resemble ray fishes to a degree, and have a dark trident in their right hand. Despite their looks and weapon of choice, the Dominion Harmony fights like a Bard, using angelic songs to confuse and hypnotize, as well as deafening sound waves to chock and stun opponents. Their tridents are heavily enchanted as well, making them dangerous at close range too.

Anchelo mentally ordered them to remain still, though, since he really needs Dirvelek to answer his question.

"The filth's final attack hurt a lot though, and the damage I received was beyond critical! Had that filth used such attack several times during our battle, I would've been defeated for sure! It took many days and tons of Soul power for my wound to heal."

"That so..."

"Oh yeah, before expelling his last breath, the filth muttered a word, or name, I don't know. Meirah. I think that was his last word."

"Meirah"? Sounds like a name, but Anchelo isn't sure. But in any case a huge weight was lifted from Anchelo's shoulders. This Dragon Lord, he was never a Boss after all.

"There, I answered your stupid question. Can you go all-out against me now?"

"Yes, now I can."

That Skill the previous Player used against Dirvelek is most likely that super powerful Skill that had a 50 hours cooldown, [Great Hero's Arrow]. The usual trump card that Players who played the part of a chivalrous "Knight of Justice" used to unlock by reaching Level 100 since the Job Class that granted it was [Justice Paragon] which required 95 Levels in Paladin or Knight Classes, plus the maxed out Positive Karma too. Such build was fairly popular in YGGDRASIL, hence why Anchelo could identify it as the previous Player's possible build by the Skill's vague description from Dirvelek.

But what matters the most is, such Skill could hurt Dirvelek, meaning that the Dragon Lord definitely isn't a Boss since the shitty devs made themselves sure that trump cards were useless against Bosses.

Anchelo returned both [Metatron] and [Michael] to his Item Box and took out an hourglass, then massive magic circles took shape around him. Dirvelek's irritated expression was immediately replaced with the same demented smile from before, it seems he knew what this was and was looking forward to it.

_'He knows about Super-Tier Spells, huh. The previous Player was most likely a Knight or Paladin, and those don't use Super-Tier, then that wasn't the only Player he ever fought it seems. Perhaps, he fought Momonga? Or those 8 he mentioned before?'_

He should stop thinking why Dirvelek knows about Super-Tier Spells since his trump card isn't dependant of the Spell he's about to cast, but rather it simply complements his absolute strongest Skill. He wants to make sure his victory is completely certain, so he will increase his chances of winning as much as he can, even if it's just by 0.01%.

The Half-Celestial crushed the hourglass and his Spell was immediately cast.

"[Storm of Vengeance]!"

Massive black clouds appeared above them, lightning and deafening thunder accompanied the ominous bank of dark clouds.

Also, that's when the flames of [Armageddon - Good] combined into a single fire and flared up one last time, calling forth a single Throne Resplendence. Despite being just Level 70, this Angel was actually very powerful since it was one of the few Monsters in existence that could naturally weild the [Star] Element, it was safe to say that the sole reason [Armageddon - Good] was used in high-level battles was just to call forth the Throne Resplendence.

The Angel's body was covered with fine fabrics, his face was hidden by a marble mask, and his 8 wings were made of gold but weren't connected to his body, but rather floated around him in a circular formation. He fought as a Star Elementalist who used Spells charged with said rare and powerful element which was usually reserved for Bosses and the [Mal'akh] Racial Class.

"You insist on keep calling forth garbage against me? Very well then, I will follow suit! [Summon Shadow]!"

Once again, 30 draconic Undead were called forth by Dirvelek, but this time his Undead were also covered by the [Dark Drive] mantle their summoner was covered with, making the Undead far more dangerous than before.

But still, Anchelo wasn't worried at all, he knew what he had to do, his trump card is still powerful enough to make quick work of both the Shadows AND Dirvelek, he's certain.

"[Skill - Channel Divinity]!"

This is the absolute most powerful Skill Anchelo has in his arsenal, by far. However, such Skill was so overwhelmingly powerful only when Anchelo and the other Divine Casters of Seraphim used it, were a Divine Caster from a weaker Guild use it, then [Channel Divinity] wouldn't be as powerful. Such complicated thing was because of the nature and acquisition method of the Job Class that granted this Skill, [Godslayer].

Divine Mages from YGGDRASIL needed a God to grant them power, and they could chose any Boss from the game to act as their Patron Deity. However, for balance purposes, the Boss of choice wouldn't affect the potency of the Divine Magic the Player or NPC received. It did affect the nature of their magic to some degree, choosing a Fire God for example gave passive burning damage to your Divine Spells, as well as some level of resistance to fire. A Holy God would increase the effectiveness of Healing and Resurrection Spells, an Evil God would give your Spells the chance to curse your opponents, a War God would increase your overall physical stats and endurance, a Death God would give you Necromancer Skills, etc.

However, the attributes of the Boss are the only thing that affects Divine Magic, the Level of the God itself is irrelevant. A Priest of a World-class Enemy wouldn't have stronger Divine Magic than the Priest of a weak event Boss. If the power of the Deity who gave you Divine Magic was important, then every single Divine Caster in the game would've been a Priest of the Celestial Lord of the Sixth Heavens, the absolute strongest World-class Enemy.

Such balance rule was broken when it came to [Godslayer] because, as the name suggests, the Divine Caster could only obtain said Job Class by taking up arms against, and successfully slay, their God. And you could only obtain it if it was your specific God the one you defeated, a Priest of Cainabel wouldn't obtain [Godslayer] by defeating Surtur, for example. The Priest of Cainabel must defeat Cainabel, and the Priest of Surtur must defeat Surtur, only then could [Godslayer] be obtained.

Some Bosses were stronger than others, meaning that for some Players said Job Class was easier to obtain than it was for other Players, and it was because of such thing that the power of [Godslayer] varied depending on the Boss' Level. If your Patron Deity was a weak event Boss, then [Godslayer] will give you a meek stat boosts, and your [Channel Divinity] Skill will be equally lame. If your Patron Deity is an extremely powerful Boss, like one of the Lords of the Nine Realms, then [Godslayer] will give you huge stat boosts, and your [Channel Divinity] Skill will be equally impressive.

In the case of the Divine Casters of Seraphim, their Patron Deities were the Ten Archangels of the Sephira. The main reason they made a coordinated raid against that Super Boss group was to tremendously increase the power of their Divine Casters, which formed the majority of the members of said Guild.

And defeat the World-class Enemies they did, every single Divine Caster of Seraphim got the [Godslayer] variants of the strongest Super Boss group of YGGDRASIL. Of course, the [Godslayer] variant of the Celestial Lord of the Sixth Heavens would have been MUCH better for them, but said Super Boss was much more than Seraphim could chew. It was said God who they targeted first, but the strongest of the Three Great Heteromorph Guilds was easily defeated by the Celestial Lord, so they had to conform with the Ten Archangels of the Sephira. It turned out well enough for Seraphim, though, every single member grew stronger after their victory, not only their Divine Casters, so the Players of said Guild were no longer upset by their humiliating defeat at the hands of the Celestial Lord.

As a Herald of Ananiel, the power increase Anchelo received from [Godslayer] was beyond monstrous, and his [Channel Divinity] was so incredibly powerful that it bordered in cheating. Also, because of their special nature as World-class Enemies, each Archangel gave their Divine Caster the passive properties of a secondary archetype on top of their preexisting one, making them even more ridiculously strong than they were before and giving them crazy versatility too.

Since Samyaza was the leader of the Super Boss group, his Priests gained excellent Commander abilities.

Sariel embodied the Moon, a heavenly body associated with the spiritual, so his Priests gained the benefits of Spiritual Magic Casters.

Kokabiel called and controlled the stars like a Summoner would, so his Priests gained incredible Skills to buff their summons.

Azazel was the Archangel that could resist the most amounts of damage and occasionally shielded his fellow Archangels from harm, so his Priests obtained tremendous defense surpassing even that of Tanks.

Gadreel was the Warrior of the group and main front line fighter, so his Priests obtained huge offensive abilities and weapons proficiency.

Bezaziel was an incorporeal Archangel composed of shadows, was inhumanly fast too, so his Priests gained speed and stealth surpassing even Rogues.

Zaqiel was the healer of the group, definitely the most annoying of the Archangels and the one that Seraphim had to defeat first, so his Priests became capable of restoring the full HP of a Level 100 with a single Spell, and could even resurrect comrades without EXP loss too!

Samshiel was a Reaper, a Death Archangel whose Instant Death magic was dangerously effective even against max Level Players, so his Priests gained some abilities of Necromancers.

Asbeel manipulated time by accelerating or slowing the flow of battle, so his Priests became Chronomancers of sorts.

Ananiel was the Patron Deity of Anchelo, that means that he got immense boosts to elemental Spells and Skills without the need of Elementalist Job Classes. He was better than a Level 100 Elementalist, even. Other Players wouldn't stop calling him and his guildmates "cheater haxs", but they defeated the strongest World-class Enemy group, their overwhelming power was well deserved.

In any case, since his God held the title "Angel of Storms", Anchelo's [Channel Divinity] is stronger if he activates it in environments where an actual storm was raging. If he couldn't find such environment, he could use the Super-Tier Spell [Storm of Vengeance] to create such environment, like he did just now.

Acid begun to rain from the huge clouds inside the gigantic cave they're in, violent bolts of lightning were striking Dirvelek and his summons, hailstones pushed by tremendous gusts of wind were chipping them away too. Normally, both the Dragon Lord and his Shadows wouldn't even feel such things with [Dark Drive] enveloping them, and Anchelo would be hurting his 3 summoned Angels too with this storm, but [Channel Divinity] affected not only the Divine Caster, but enhanced any Spell or Skill activated beforehand that was still in effect, and buffed any of his summons present too, among other things.

The Skill works by enveloping the Priest in a spectral Avatar of the Boss that gives them power, right now Anchelo was covered in a light mantle resembling Ananiel himself, the Archangel's imagine overlapping on his own, giving the impression that both the Archangel and his Herald became one.

The Half-Celestial, the pair of Dominion Harmony, and the Throne Resplendence all hurled themselves forwards without hesitation towards their enemies. Despite being just summons, and mere Level 60-70 beings no less, the 3 Angels were so strengthened by Ananiel's variant of [Channel Divinity] that the Shadow Undead were literally no match for them. A single sound wave from the 2 Dominion Harmony was enough to stun and paralyze all 30 Undead right where they stood, and the Throne Resplendence just needed a single AoE Spell imbued with the [Star] element to cause all of them serious damage, not to mention the heavily buffed acid rain, lightning bolts, and hailstorm too doing a huge number of them.

Anchelo himself was an unstoppable, irresistible, invincible being in this state, weapons of ice and fire took shape on his hands which he used to easily cut, smash, and pierce Dirvelek's body, almost as if the Dragon Lord was made of mere butter! A single strike from the Cleric and Dragon scales were shattered into shrapnel, Dragon bones were broken, Dragon flesh was ravaged, Dragon organs were destroyed, Dragon blood was being spilled and gushed out like miniature waterfalls, this wasn't a fight no more, this was a merciless (and almost cruel) one-sided beat down.

Dirvelek wasn't even able to strike back without hurting himself either, the electrical mantle of Ananiel made Anchelo virtually untouchable too, hence why the Cleric didn't even had to bother dodging. The Dragon's unfathomable HP was now plummeting faster than a stone in water.

"To think...a filth would be like this...! Those 8 were nothing like you! Not even close to the power you have! What are you!?"

Anchelo didn't responded, he just kept slaughtering the Dragon Lord with relentless fury.

"Could it be...are you like Mairgoleido and Tsaindorcus, your parent was the Emperor of your kind!? Or...are you yourself the Emperor of the filth!? What are you Anchelo! Why are you so strong!? You must be on par with the Aboleth Sovereigns! How di-"

"SHUT. UP!"

Anchelo was sick of this pesky Dragon. He aimed his elemental weapons towards Dirvelek's oversized throat, no last words for the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord.

His 3 summons eventually destroyed all the Shadows as well, the stronger than normal hazardous storm helped a lot too, so now there were 4 angelic beings utterly massacring the Dragon Lord, one would almost feel a bit bad for Dirvelek. Almost.

Despite the fact that his body was being annihilated, though, the depths of Dirvelek's mind were as calm as a still river.

_'So this is it, uh? A filth of the Dragon Emperor will kill me after all. Well, I never hoped for anything better, I never hoped nothing for me. The utterly crushing defeat I always wished for is right here, I should say thanks to Anchelo, but I can't. Heh.'_

Dirvelek still feels that he should thank his killer somehow, and after thinking for a second, he found the perfect gift. It might not be much to someone as overwhelming as his enemy, but it should be good enough. After all, it's an Item of great power that somehow dropped from the previous filth after he killed him so long ago.

Between the barrage of attacks, Dirvelek managed to reach out to his pocket shadow realm and used his Wild Magic mentally to move the Item that has been stored there for centuries.

He took out said Item for his assailants to see, and painfully twisted his face into a satisfying smug. "This is my farewell gift", it's most likely what he tried to convey with his expression.

Anchelo, for his part, couldn't believe what he saw.

"That's...! How...! One of The Twenty...!? Angels, attack!"

That Item that Dirvelek took out from nowhere was the World-class Item [Zeus' Hammer]. Of course, Anchelo knows that you can't destroy a World-class Item no matter how strong you are, but he's not 100% certain that such Item is in fact World-class.

His Angels diverted their attention from the Dragon to the Item and attacked it with all their might, but not a single scratch was inflicted. Now he's certain, Dirvelek somehow got that destructive hammer for himself.

_'The previous Player! Was that Item his? Then it must've dropped from his Item Box when Dirvelek killed him...'_

That's the sole logical explanation Anchelo could draw at the moment.

But no time to think, he mustn't allow Dirvelek to smash that hammer no matter what! He begun to burn his Spells and Skills (which were also enhanced by [Channel Divinity]) to kill the Dragon Lord as fast as possible and commanded his Angels to increase their attack ferocity, the monster still had a considerable amount of HP left, Dirvelek could use the World-class hammer before Anchelo and his Angels kill him for good.

Dirvelek was taking such punishment with his usual demented grin still painted on his scarred face, he definitely doesn't minds using [Zeus' Hammer] as a final dying act. Anchelo, in contrast, was desperate since his HP has still decreased quite a bit during the fight, and since Zaqiel wasn't his Patron Deity his trump card doesn't constantly regenerates his HP, there's no way he could survive [Zeus' Hammer] with his dwindled health, buffed defenses or not.

But the Dragon refused to die yet, Dirvelek was telekinetically moving the World-class hammer upwards to smash it into the ground and unleash a world-shattering AoE attack that would annihilate the entire underground environment they're currently in and anything in a 10 kilometers radius beyond that, Anchelo couldn't attempt to stop it without interrupting his endless attacks, and he isn't even sure if he can stop a World-class Item by force, [Channel Divinity] or not. The Twenty's powers are cataclysmic even among World-class Items.

The Half-Celestial was hitting the Dragon Lord's joints and possible weak spots as hard as he possibly could, but it was for naught. Dirvelek brought the hammer down at great speeds, and Anchelo lost all his strength, it was over...

_'Guys, I'm sorry. I fought as hard as I could.'_

But at that moment, something unthinkable happened.

The spectral Avatar of Ananiel "detached" itself from Anchelo and intercepted the hammer before it hit the ground.

Neither Anchelo nor Dirvelek could believe what was happening. Both were staring at such scene with a dumbfounded expression, they have no idea what's going on.

"...Ananiel? Is that you?"

The spectral Avatar who was still struggling to prevent the hammer from striking the earth responded to him with a heavenly voice full of authority.

"It is I, child. Fear not, I am here with you."

He and many other Priests used [Channel Divinity] countless times in YGGDRASIL, but this never happened even once.

"You, you can think and act on your own! Gods are real here!?"

"I know not of other Gods or Angels, but I am who I am in this world because of you, my Herald. You called forth my power which you earned, and here I am."

"How can you do that? That's a World-class Item!"

"Am I not a being on par with this artifact? What is so strange about a World-class entity like myself resisting the power of a World-class weapon like this one?"

_'That makes sense, I guess? [Channel Divinity] never gave me nor my fellows of Seraphim the protection of WORLD, but it seems that Ananiel himself, or his Avatar at least, is immune. Somehow.'_

Anchelo has no idea what's happening, but at least the threat of [Zeus' Hammer] is neutralized for now. The Dragon Lord, for his part, begun to laugh.

"He...he, ha, ha, ha! HAHAHA!HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

His throat was ravaged, yet he was laughing somehow. Dirvelek's tail smashed Anchelo with enough force to send him flying away, making him collide on a wall and forming a huge crater on it, just like how this death battle started.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The demented Dragon grabbed the 2 Dominion Harmony with both arms and crushed their heads with his jaws, destroying them instantly.

_'He's lost it, any shred of sanity seems to be gone. Dirvelek is at death's door after all, beasts are the most dangerous and insane when they're about to die. Time to end this.'_

He opened his right hand and activated his second most powerful Skill, [Scepter of Amaunator]. It's called "scepter" but it functions like a spear, and MP can be used to increase the Skill's power as well. He used it before during his barrage of attacks, but such powerful Skill has a cooldown. However, this spear caused the greatest amount of damage to Dirvelek back then, opening a huge hole on his torso. And the cooldown had ended too.

Divine Fire formed on Anchelo's hand while the Dragon Lord killed the Throne Resplendence with a single strike too, leaving only him and the Cleric left. Dirvelek turned his gaze towards his enemy, crazed smile still splattered on his face, and opened his mouth.

But it wasn't his normal breath attack, it was something else entirely. Huge masses of black matter begun to condense on his opened jaws, the impenetrable darkness that surrounded the spacious battlefield was being absorbed into it as well, the thin membrane covering the floor too, and small sparkles of purple lightning where crackling on it too. The Dragon was channeling every single drop of his remaining Wild Magic into his mouth, the force pulling down [Zeus' Hammer] into the ground dissipated too, Dirvelek will give everything in this final Spell.

Anchelo's senses warned him like crazy, he couldn't detect nor measure Wild Magic, but his primal instincts were screaming on his head. He needs to end this, here. Now.

With the hammer no longer being an issue, the Avatar of Ananiel once again merged with his Herald, and the Archangel personally enhanced Anchelo's Skill further than the limit (another thing that [Channel Divinity] couldn't do in YGGDRASIL). Every last drop of mana he still had left was being infused into the spear too, Anchelo will take no chances.

Both attacks fully charged, Anchelo hurled his Holy Fire spear with every ounce of strength he had while Dirvelek fired his pitch black Wild Magic breath Spell.

The attacks clashed. Or where supposed to, at least.

[Scepter of Amaunator] simply passed through Dirvelek's breath Spell without any sort of resistance, as if such breath didn't existed. There was no strength nor pressure to said breath, yet it still feels like such a dangerous and powerful attack.

That's because said Wild Magic Spell is Dirvelek's own trump card, [Soulstripper].

As the Spell that served as the basis for the [Soulbreaker] Spell of the Elder Coffin Dragon Lord, [Soulstripper] ripped apart the Soul from the target's body, but it didn't destroyed the Soul without a trace like [Soulbreaker] does, and Undead as well as Golems are immune to this Spell. And since Dirvelek is a living being unlike Cure Elim who is an Undead, his own Soul would be destroyed in the event he uses [Soulbreaker].

But Anchelo is neither Undead nor Golem, so [Soulstripper] is perfectly capable of ripping apart Anchelo's Soul.

And that's exactly what it did...

Both attacks hit their target simultaneously, [Scepter of Amaunator] pierced right through Dirvelek's trachea, leaving a terribly huge hole on his head, while [Soulstripper] bypassed every single defense protecting Anchelo, swallowing him up in a darkness that even Ananiel was unable to defend him from, it seems that the mantle of a World-class Enemy still couldn't give the Cleric himself the protection of WORLD, after all. A very odd loophole.

The Half-Celestial and the Dragon Lord both fell to the ground. [Channel Divinity] and [Dark Drive] dissipated from their bodies without a trace, [Storm of Vengeance] disappeared too.

Anchelo and Dirvelek are dead.

Their bodies remained still on the floor, [Zeus' Hammer] was laying on the ground too. The silence was unnerving, not even a soft breeze could blow so deep underground.

Eventually, Anchelo's Item Box ejected one of the weapons stored inside it. When Players are defeated, they usually lose their most valuable piece of gear for the winner to take as a victory prize.

Yes, that's what usually happens.

The weapon that Anchelo dropped was a Low-class [Iron Knife]. That's actually a weapon any Level 1 Player could easily obtain. This wasn't Anchelo's strongest weapon, quite the opposite.

Right after that, one of the rings on his fingers shone brightly behind his armor covering his hand, and after the light of said ring subdued Anchelo's body suddenly convulsed, a bolt of electricity ran through his body, and then he immediately woke up, forcefully grasping for air.

"Ah! What? What's..."

He sat up, removed his helmet, and begun to breathe heavily.

Anchelo's heart was exploding with each beat, he was sweating buckets, and his head hurt like hell.

"I...I...was dead...I died, against that Dragon..."

He saw the corpse of Dirvelek some distance in front of him, it seems that he won't revive himself just like Anchelo just did. That crazy smug was still carved on his face, even in death he is a psychotic bastard.

That means, Anchelo won. He won and the Dragon Lord lost. Yet, why he feels so pathetic?

He removed the armor covering one of his arms to see his hand, and one of the colorful rings on his fingers was now dulled. Meaning, said ring was already used, and thus was empty now.

This ring was one of the Divine-class Items that he won after ending up as the champion of one of the numerous developer-sponsored tournaments he participated in. Said ring was one of the Items that Players could never craft no matter what, hence it was extremely sought after. The selling prices of said rings (assuming someone even wanted to sell them in the first place) were absurd, but high-level Players felt that the price was worth it.

It was the ring that reduced the death penalty exponentially. Instead of losing 5 Levels, you only lose a mediocre amount of EXP. And instead of losing your best weapon, you lose your weakest one. Also, your HP is restored back to full, a huge disparity with virtually every other Resurrection Spell, Skill, and Item which only restores a portion of your health bar.

Said piece of Equipment only has a single charge, though, so it becomes useless after you die once. Anchelo removed the now empty ring from his finger, placed his armor back on, and saved the ring on his Item Box. The material that the ring itself is composed of is extremely rare too, so even an empty ring has some uses.

Anchelo stared at the [Iron Knife] on the floor in front of him, this was Dirvelek's "reward" for killing him, a plain little blade.

He stand up, took the knife, and casually tossed it towards Dirvelek's body.

"Here, you earned this, you demented monster."

Anchelo felt no joy at killing the Dragon Lord, but he's surely glad that he won't be a bother no more. Neither him nor anyone else will have to endure that monster's insanity.

He took a deep breath to relax himself more, his senses warned him of no movements anywhere near so he can drop his guard now.

Anchelo now gazed at the direction where [Zeus' Hammer] was, the World-class Item that almost ends the battle towards Dirvelek's favor, who knows what it could do in another set of wrong hands.

So he slowly walked towards the hammer to pick it up and save it on his inventory, but in an instance the hammer disappeared into the shadows right in front of his eyes, just like that.

"Uh? What? Don't tell me!"

He put his helmet on again and turned his head towards Dirvelek's body, eyes full of desperation, he can't possibly be alive still! [Life Essence] showed no HP left, the Dragon is definitely dead, so what happened.

"Ara, no need to be on guard Sir Angel, I mean you no harm."

Anchelo directed his view towards the place the mysterious archaic and formal voice came from. He saw a petite Human lady...no, Vampire lady, covered in a black gown which looked soft to the touch, the skirt puffed up into a voluminous bell shape. Her skin resembled wax, had long silver hair, and her red eyes gave off a seductive but murderous intent.

"You, who are you? You took that weapon away? Such thing is incredibly dangerous, much more than you can imagine, please hand it over to me, I will keep it safe."

Anchelo moved his hand forward to signal the Vampire girl to give him the hammer she just took somehow, but she refused to give it to him.

"My apologies, but my master is adamant in securing such weapon himself, you see. I have no intention of disobeying his commands, so I can't give it to you. Even if you do try to take it from me...I will have no choice but to resist to the best of my abilities."

That last line was delivered with clear killing energy, this Vampire won't hesitate to attack Anchelo if he provokes her. And in the state he currently is, Anchelo lacks the energy or desire to fight again.

His HP was full thanks to his used ring, but his MP is depleted, and has no powerful Skills to use anymore since the strongest ones have limited daily uses and long cooldowns. Anchelo is a Cleric, yes, but he's the type that functions best as an offense Divine Caster, and even though his melee abilities are still terrifying, Anchelo never relied too much on that.

In all honesty, the only one that finds fault and weakness in Anchelo's build and combat skill is Anchelo himself. His friends can praise him to the heavens and call him invincible, but Anchelo never allowed himself to be arrogant nor complacent.

Also, he was dead a minute ago, there's no way he's in the proper state of mind to fight to the death again. So at the end, he left his hand fall in defeat, it seems he won't try to take [Zeus' Hammer] by force.

"You are wise, Sir Player. Only a fool would make an enemy out of my lord."

"!...so, you're...I see..."

Anchelo is a very smart cookie, he can easily piece 2 and 2 together.

"You figured it out, it seems."

"So this was all his plan? This fight with the Dragon?"

"That's correct, truly a scheme worthy of the Supreme One."

"And my companions, they are fighting the other Dragon Lords too?"

"Yes they are. Such worthless beings aren't worth my master's time after all, so you 5 were put to good use. Isn't he considerate? Giving you the chance to be part of his unfathomable plans, I bet you're thanking him from the bottom of your heart!"

_'Thanking him for tricking us...right...'_

At that moment, his angelic senses told him that there was movement coming from the place were Dirvelek's body was, so Anchelo hurrily turned his head and held his guard up, but immediately calmed down right afterwards.

There was a huge [Gate] Spell opened near the Dragon corpse, and several mid-level Undead were pulling the massive body into the magical portal. Surely, Momonga must've ordered the recovery of Dirvelek's body in order to harvest Dragon materials. A wise move, no sane Player would let a Dragon body go to waste.

Anchelo returned his gaze towards the Vampire lady, pointed his finger towards the corpse, and asked a question.

"So do I get a reward for that? I literally gave my life, you know."

He hopes that Momonga at least has the decency to properly thank him, or give him something in return for being forced to fight to the death. A way to return would be nice.

"Uh? You don't think serving the will of the Supreme One is reward enough? I suppose it's natural, Lord Ainz told me of the petty enmity your kind used to have with the Supreme Beings of Nazarick long ago."

Seraphim and Ainz Ooal Gown never were Guilds with the most friendly of terms with each other, true.

"Luckily for you, my master is forgiving enough to forget your previous offenses against him and is willing to give you a chance to live in his world, a chance you just won by slaying that filthy Dragon for him. Congratulations!"

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks, I guess."

"Now let's see, I had the proper notification somewhere..."

The Vampire lady begun to look for something she had saved somewhere, but at that moment the world begun to suddenly quake.

"What's this? Another Dragon Lord?"

Instead of responding him, the Vampire had 2 of her fingers on her forehead and seemed to be listening to someone talking to her, must likely through [Message].

"My apologies, but I must excuse myself, my master needs me somewhere else."

And just like that, the Vampire teleported to parts unknown. But the underground cave kept trembling violently, so strong was the earthquake that everything begun to collapse.

"Screw this!"

Anchelo spread his colorful wings, put great force on them, and lunged himself towards the entrance that Dirvelek forced him through before the fight. He will get out of this place himself.

Since he min-maxed his build as much as he can, Anchelo lacks any Spells that can show him the shortest way out of dungeons or labyrinths since those are utility abilities, and he always had companions back in Seraphim that could cover those areas for him. But now Anchelo was alone in this collapsing maze of tunnels, he had to escape with his own abilities.

Because his HP was full, any falling boulder or crash with stone walls was insignificant, and he could just use his mace or shortspear to destroy anything blocking his way anyways.

And soon enough, Anchelo found his way to the surface, freedom at last! Some seconds after his escape, the earthquake stopped, almost as if nothing happened.

The starry full moon sky was a nice contrast to the dark and gloomy place he was in just a moment ago, Anchelo wanted to stare at it to admire the natural beauty for a good while, and would've if not for the sudden soul-crushing roar of a monster that reverberated throughout the lands.

A roar that came out of nowhere and made a chill run down his spine. A roar he felt so close, that he could swear that the beast who made it was standing right next to him.

But that wasn't his imagination, the beast who unleashed that roar was in fact very near.

At the corner of his vision he saw an humongous Dragon-like figure in the distance, flapping its wings. Anchelo used both his enhanced senses and the helmet of [Gabriel] to see even further, and there he saw it.

That...thing.

**You may be wondering why did Anchelo failed to recognize Shalltear if he knows her name and the fact that she's a Vampire thanks to the accounts he heard of the failed 1,500 strong raid against Ainz Ooal Gown.**

**Well, it's because that's all Anchelo did, hear about it.**

**No Great Guild participated in the raid against Nazarick, so neither him nor his comrades of Seraphim ever saw Shalltear with their own eyes. Also, Shalltear looks notably different with her Valkyrie armor on, which obviously is the appearance she had when the raid faced her.**

**Hence, Anchelo had no way of knowing that the Vampire he saw was Shalltear.**

**Dirvelek=Yvoin**

**Epithet**

**[Deep Darkness Dragon Lord]**

**Racial Levels - 50**

**10 - Dragonling**

**10 - Young**

**10 - Adult**

**10 - Old**

**05 - Elder**

**05 - Ancient**

**Job Levels - 52**

**10 - Primitive Caster _(Genius)_**

**07 - Shadow Linker**

**09 - Umbramancer**

**10 - World Connector**

**10 - Dark Soul**

**06 - Shadowdancer (Dragon)**

**Total Level - 102**

**In case the little backstory at the beginning didn't made it clear, Dirvelek was leagues ahead of most Dragon Lords. He was strong, VERY strong. The only Dragon that surpassed him in the Anti-Player Alliance was the leader of said group.**

**But that's in that specific alliance of Dragon Lords. Are there other Dragons outside of the Alliance that surpass Dirvelek?**

**His build synergy was near perfect, his battle sense was excellent, and his combat maniac nature gave him tons of battle experience back in the day when Dragons prospered.**

**Of course, he was weaker during the time the Greed Kings were carrying out the genocide of his Race, didn't had [Soulstripper] either, hence why he couldn't stand up to them. Back then, of course.**

**Another question you may have is: if Dirvelek truly wanted to die, why didn't he use [Soulbreaker]? That way he would've both killed himself and take Anchelo with him for good since [Soulstripper] didn't destroyed his Soul, hence allowing his ring to recover said Soul and place it back into his Half-Celestial body.**

**Well, 2 reasons.**

**For starters, Dirvelek had no idea about [Soulbreaker] since Cure Elim developed that Spell in isolation, only he knew about it, and it was also long after seeing Dirvelek's [Soulstripper] in action. Can't use a Spell you don't even know exists.**

**And secondly, even IF Dirvelek knew how to use that Spell, he wouldn't cast it, ever. He himself said it, a self-inflicted death is pitiful in his eyes, and he didn't wanted a pitiful death, he wanted a glorious death in combat.**

**Dirvelek was a nihilist that detested life, but wasn't self-hating enough to take his own life and die in solitude. That's why he needed an enemy strong enough to kill him.**

**Anchelo was his "saviour" in a twisted and kinda sad way.**

**Makes you wonder why he joined the Alliance to become much stronger in the first place, right? Well, he was a bit screwed up in the head anyways. His logic wasn't the best.**

**You may also be wondering about the previous Player that deliberately challenged Dirvelek, what was that word he said before dying, and about that thing that Dirvelek compared Anchelo to after he unleashed his [Channel Divinity]. Well, I can't wait to tell you those stories in Arc II. : D**

**One last thing before wrapping up this Chapter, I said last time how I will release a prequel story in the near future chronicling the early life of Ainz's son. That's still my plan, but I want you to know that such thing doesn't means the halt nor end of the main story.**

**Arc II of "Gods Among Gods" will be published concurrent with the prequel, so I will be publishing 2 stories simultaneously. But that will be until Arc I reaches its conclusion, which isn't so far away now.**

**And with that out of the way, I say good bye for now.**

**Next Chapter, the Thousand Blade Dragon Lord. **


	14. Chapter 14: Thousand Blade Dragon Lord

**At the opposite side of mighty spectrum of the Dragon Race are the weaker ones, those who always stood behind everyone else, those who were the laughingstock of their peers, the "fake" Dragons who were little more than stronger slaves.**

**Those Dragons-in-name-only usually submitted to their fates, they never attempted to be more than what Dragon society expected of them, always subservient and obedient to their superiors, all expect for Guste Mik=Reihk Nacol.**

**With Wild Magic inferior even to the likes of Cure Elim the coward, Guste Mik lacked the strength to be someone of notice among the myriad of Dragon Lords who were always struggling for power, yet he refused to surrender. He kept pushing his own body forward, he honed his natural weapons beyond their limits, he polished his fighting skills, but it was always for naught, there were plenty of Dragons much stronger than him no matter the amount of effort he put in.**

**When the Dragon Emperor summoned aliens from a mysterious world who were bent to pollute the world and were slaughtering the strongest Dragon Lords like mere flies, Guste Mik saw his chance to prove his strength, show everyone that hard effort triumphed natural talent. But the 8 pieces of filth, too, rendered all of Guste Mik's hard work pointless.**

**It was sheer luck that he survived.**

**The storm eventually passed and the strongest Dragons in the world were either dead or missing. Guste Mik felt the desire to mock those who in the past mocked his weakness and showed off their own flashy power around just to later on be murdered by dirty filth and their hideous weapons, but he immediately realized just afterwards how pathetic such thing would be.**

**Time passed, there was an Alliance of survivors like him that formed in preparation for any future confrontation with lingering filth, one that he joined to hone his abilities even further, and when each Dragon Lord of said Alliance eventually parted ways Guste Mik finally found a place were he felt at home. A place were every single being was much weaker than him, a place where he was, at last, the strongest around.**

**Guste Mik was always a large fish in a tank full of whales, but now he was a large fish in a tank full of little shrimps. For the first time in his long life the Dragon felt the intoxicating sensation of being the top dog around, at long last he had the respect and admiration he always wanted.**

**Being worshipped by the contaminated rabble as a God made him very, very glad, and such thing made him feel very, very sick.**

Chapter 14: Thousand Blade Dragon Lord

He was stranded in a desert, normally deserts are hot as hell, but the opposite happens when night falls.

Right now Teinu was in an extremely cold climate, he could see his breath like mist every time he exhaled. Maybe he should've picked warmer clothes, or he could just switch to his usual gear for elemental protection.

It's true that he's a Level 100 being, but he's still a Human. Since Humanoids are unable to build Racial Classes they don't get elemental resistances of any sort, hence why they depend on their gear to defend themselves from dangerous environments.

However, what Teinu does have are incredibly higher stats compared with virtually every other Humanoid of this world. Even if the temperature does indeed chill him to the bone, he has enormous levels of endurance and durability, his pain tolerance is quite high too, that's why the extreme climate that would make other Humans tremble on their knees is little more than a fresh breeze to Teinu, he has no need to cover himself with his Divine-class armor to survive in this place. He doesn't even feels discomfort of any sort.

He was walking aimlessly, nothing could be seen in the distance except for dunes and rock formations, not even a single cacti at sight. The sky was starry with a full moon so the sight was nice, but Teinu was more worried about his friends, he couldn't find any reason why Daifuku would take him here, and couldn't see his friends anywhere.

Perhaps if he screams as loud as he can? He also lacks enhanced senses, but he has Equipment that can cover up for that too. He took out Relic-class goggles from his Item Box that allow him to see far and wide into the distance, and has [Dark Vision] built in too, but still couldn't see his friends, instead Teinu saw something else.

He saw a sand vehicle similar to a boat, it had a sail supported by a mast and all that, travelling at high speeds. In said vehicle he saw 3 Humans, he couldn't distinguish their physical features but could clearly tell that they were a man, a woman, and a child, must likely a family. One may think that they were simply traveling in the clear night, but the wounds of both the man and the woman tell otherwise, and the numerous monsters pursuing them must have something to do with said wounds.

Trailing them was a large and colorful bird with a bloodied beak, as big as an elephant, flying at high speeds above them, and riding said monster were several non-Human creatures wielding crude weapons, most likely Demi-Humans of some sort.

Said enormous bird is a carnivorous Monster called Roc, it usually ranges between Level 40-60 depending of their type, but Teinu can't identify the breed of Roc that is currently hunting down the fleeing Human family. But he has no time to think about that since the Roc is getting dangerously close to the family, he has to do something!

He took out his usual Equipment and dashed forward, his speed was enough to close the distance in a heartbeat and a single slash from his blade was enough to chop off the Roc's head clean. It seems the bird wasn't above Level 60 after all, Teinu didn't even needed to buff his own strength nor use a Skill.

The headless bird collapsed into the sand, the Demi-Humans riding it fell too, and the fleeing Human family got farther away. That's good, they're no longer in danger.

However, the Demi-Humans stood up, grabbed their weapons and begun to chase the family again, they didn't seem to mind that their Roc transport was beheaded, for some reason they were determined to hunt down this Human family, so Teinu used [Acceleration] to appear right in front of them and block their way.

Now that he was close to them he could finally tell what the Demi-Humans are: Asabi, the desert Lizardmen. Standing 7 feet tall, sporting dark brown scales to camouflage in the desert, and horns on their heads. These Demi-Humans resembled bipedal horned lizards basically. Since their scales were very hard and some of them were even pointy the Asabi had no need to wear armor, and usually fight unarmed too in order to take advantage of their natural weapons, but the ones in front of Teinu were welding swords and clubs, some even had belts with pouches.

The Asabi don't seem to hold any high-level weapons, and don't seem high-level themselves, but Teinu isn't dropping his guard.

The one that seemed to be their leader addressed Teinu in an irritated tone.

"Out of the way, Human! You're not our target, do not meddle with our business less you want to make enemies with our lord!"

The Asabi's voice was ragged and savage, but Teinu responded in a confident tone.

"A lord that orders you to chase down children after wounding their parents doesn't deserves to be a lord."

Another Asabi spoke in a furious tone.

"Insolent Human! Do not speak of our master as if you know him!"

That specific Asabi lunged himself forward to attack Teinu, but the Asabi leader screamed at him in a rage.

"Idiot! What are you doing!? That Human beheaded Kanash with a single strike!"

But the warning came too late, in less than a second Teinu chopped away his assailant's body and even weapon into sliced pieces, the Asabi never knew what killed him.

The other Demi-Humans were startled, they held their weapons firmer than before and pointed them towards Teinu, but the fear in their eyes was clear to see. The Asabi leader in particular seemed to have the strongest willpower as only he dared to speak.

"You are strong, Human. But you are nothing to our lord, when he learns that you got on our way, you are dead meat."

After saying that, he gave the signal for them to retreat, and the Asabi tuned tail and ran away as fast as they could. And after a minute or so they could no longer be seen in the distance.

Teinu took a glance at his surroundings and saw that there were no more enemies around, so he sheathed his katanas and fixed his glare towards the direction the family was escaping to. He hoped that they were far away now, but such thing wasn't the case.

A man, a woman, and a child were standing several feet away from him, their sand vehicle was further behind, it seems that they stopped their escape and returned for a reason. Perhaps they saw the Demi-Humans defeated and felt the danger has passed. But now that they were closer, Teinu could have a much better look at their appearance.

They had dark skin, hair, and eyes. The man's clothes were composed of white fabrics and a leather armor, had what seemed to be a scimitar held by a belt of his waist, and he was heavily wounded but it seems his life wasn't in any immediate danger. The woman was covered full-body in a grey garb, her face was exposed though, and had no weapons nor armor, but had less wounds than the man. The child was covered full-body too in a white garb that only exposed his head, and didn't seemed to be older than 6 years. Thankfully, the kid wasn't harmed at all.

If Teinu were to give his opinion, he would say that these Humans are native of the Middle-East regions of Earth. But this isn't Earth, so he feels he would be objectively wrong about that.

In any case, the Human family saw this mysterious swordsman next to a headless giant bird Monster and the chopped pieces of a desert Lizardman, their expressions were a weird mix of awe and fear. But eventually, the man mustered up the courage to step forward and address Teinu.

"Foreigner, you saved my family's life. You have my eternal gratitude."

"Oh? Is the fact that I'm not from around that obvious?"

The man chucked a bit, then answered that joke question.

"Someone with a skin and hair like yours can't possibly be from these lands, your panoply definitely wasn't crafted in this desert either. Also, our communities are small and close, everyone knows everyone, yet I've never seen you before."

"Well it's true. I'm not from around, I was...passing by. But I'm glad I did."

Teinu slowly turned his head towards the Roc's corpse, and so did the wounded man.

"Yes, me and my family are glad you did, too."

"Why were those Demi-Humans following you? Will they return to persue you again? Are you still in danger?"

"It's complicated."

"Is it?"

"We were planning to reach the lands that reside much further away from this desert. Apparently there's a mighty Kingdom ruled by an all-powerful Magic Caster that protects his citizens from any harm. As a representative of our tribes, I was meant to offer vassalage to this Magic Caster in order to become his subjects, that way he may protect us from the dreaded monster that has oppressed my people since time immemorial."

_'A Kingdom ruled by a powerful Magic Caster? That's Momonga's Sorcerer Kingdom!'_

"However, we were trailed by the servants of the dreaded monster and forced to forsake our original route to escape, their pursuit drove us off-course and now we lack the necessary resources to continue our travel. Hence, we must return to our tribe to resupply."

"Didn't you brought more people with you? Bodyguards? Warriors and Mages to ensure a safe journey?"

"We did...me and my family are all that's left..."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, if not for you then we would be dead too, thanks to you we still have a chance."

Teinu remained silent for a few seconds. He still had to return to his friends' side, but he couldn't just ignore these people and the danger they're in, especially if he has the power to actually do something about it.

"In that case, please let me accompany you and your family, I will make sure you return safely."

"You would do that for us?"

"Of course I would!"

"You don't know us, yet you're willing to go this far..."

The man seemed dumbfounded by Teinu's act of compassion.

"I will spend the rest of my life looking for a proper way to compensate the kindness you're showing us."

Teinu wanted to say that there's no need to thank him, but seeing how moved the man was, he couldn't bring himself to say so.

**[Some minutes later]**

The 4 Humans were riding the sand vehicle towards the family's home tribe. They had no map to guide them, instead the Human natives of this desert learned to follow the stars in order to always find their way.

They found a few Monsters along the way, but Teinu made quick work of them with long-range Skills. Turns out that the creatures of this world are so low-level that relatively weak Skills are enough to one-shot anything Teinu saw, but perhaps his weak Skills are considered strong by the people of this world.

Another thing they came across were the remnants of destroyed sand vehicles similar to the one they're currently riding, and the remains of slain Humans with similar complexions to the family Teinu is currently with were not far from those. The family's expressions were grim, it mustn't be easy to see the ravaged corpses of your friends.

Teinu was deep in his thoughts, all this time he heard that Momonga was this kind and fair King that protected everyone everywhere, yet here this people was, being oppressed by an unknown creature in the middle of an arid desert. Is Momonga ignorant of this place? Perhaps it's one of those places that are too far to reach? Maybe his nation isn't expanding no more? They did learn of an expansion campaign in those tomes he and his friends read. Or...is Momonga afraid of the monster oppressing these folk? But he has Nazarick, that broken Dungeon, what could he possibly fear?

Eventually, the kid broke the chilling silence.

"Mister, how did you got so strong?"

It seems the little boy couldn't hold his curiosity and asked Teinu a question.

"Uh? You wanna know?"

The 6 year old kid nodded, it was the usual infantile curiosity that children usually have. Teinu would've gladly answered the boy's question, if he could.

_'What am I supposed to say? I became this strong because I Leveled Up with powerful Classes? From what we've seen and learned this world has no concept of Levels or EXP, so they wouldn't understand even if I explain.'_

Another thing is the general low Level Caps that almost everyone in the New World suffers off. Even IF they were to understand the concepts of YGGDRASIL, there's nothing they can do about their own lack of potential.

So instead Teinu chose to avoid the topic.

"Well, it's a long and boring story, I doubt you would want to hear it."

But the kid's curiosity couldn't be dodged.

"But I want to know how to get strong. If I don't get strong then more people like grandpa, grandma, and uncle will keep getting hurt by the bad monsters."

The child's father stepped in.

"Badhi, that's enough. Don't bother our guest like that."

The child's mother spoke too.

"Besides, if everything turns out as it should, we will be protected by an invincible Mage King. We can live our lives without fear, and you can grow up to become anything you want to be."

It seems the child's, Badhi's, mother doesn't wants him to grow up as a combatant who is always afraid for his life. Someone who is either killed by monsters (like the ones who accompanied them on this dangerous journey) or is constantly wounded by them (like his father).

"Okay mommy."

Badhi eventually gave in to his mother's words, she only wants what's best for him after all.

Teinu couldn't help but form a soft smile on his face, such thing makes his desire to protect these people even stronger.

And after a while they could finally see the Human tribe in the horizon, the family's trip back home was almost over.

"That's our tribe. I can vouch for you so you can have sanctuary, and it's very likely that our elders will request your aid to our cause."

"That's cool, you don't have to ask me to help, I'm willing to...wait, what's that?"

Teinu stood up and directed his view farther away, and the man followed suit. What they saw shook the man to the core.

"No..."

2 massive flying creatures were headed towards the tribe, their draconic features were obvious even at such distance.

"That damned, petty beast! To think he would send 2 Dragons!"

"I take this monster doesn't takes kindly when you rebel?"

"It's more than that. This beast is obsessed with absolute loyalty, not only us Humans, but also his Demi-Human servants are held with an iron grip. Any small mistake, any little sign of disobedience, and you are massacred on the spot."

"I also assume that your best fighters were accompanying you back there? If so, that means your tribe is unprotected."

"Half of them joined our mission to keep me and my family safe, but the other half of our fighting forces remained behind to protect our people. We knew that the foul beast would seek to punish us for attempting to escape his grasp. However, even with all our Warriors and Mystics, defeating just 1 of his Dragon servants would be difficult, but 2 Dragons? With just half our men?"

The man remained silent for a second before locking eyes with Teinu, his gaze was full of fear and remorse, perhaps a tint of anger too.

"You already saved us once, I haven't even properly rewarded your kindness, I have no right to ask you this, but-"

Teinu held his hand to signal the man to stop.

"As I said, it's cool. I'm very strong you know, I don't mind breaking a sweat if that means saving other Humans from oppressing monsters. Just leave it to me."

Teinu didn't even waited for a response when he jumped forward and ran at high speeds towards the Dragons approaching the Human tribe, in just an instant he became a blur.

The man for his part was mouth agape while staring in the direction the mysterious Human just disappeared through, he couldn't believe such person exists in this world. Someone who is both unbelievably strong and offers a helping hand too!

_'If only we crossed paths before.'_

The man, his wife, and his son closed their eyes in prayer for this stranger savior, supplicating their ancestors to watch over him, secure his victory, and grant him a safe return home.

**[...]**

_'All the Monsters I've seen so far in this desert are so low-level, maybe this Dragons will be more challenging? In any case, I have to make myself sure that they can't hurt the Humans living here.'_

Teinu unsheathed [Raijin and Fūjin] which started to vibrate with electrical fire, and before any of the Dragons could react he jumped to chop off one of their heads, decapitating the Dragon just as easy as the Roc from before.

_'Ah!? Dragons are weakasses too!?'_

The other Dragon didn't even noticed his dead comrade, just kept flying at high speeds to attack the defenseless Humans Teinu wants to protect. He could kill him just as easy, but had an idea.

He jumped towards the other Dragon's back, ran to his head and stomped on it with his foot.

"Aaaaaargh!"

Teinu didn't put that much force on his stomp, but the Dragon was heavily hurt still. After releasing a painful wail the Dragon fell to the sand, then slowly lift up and analysed the surroundings, the Dragon was looking for any Monster in the vicinity that would dare sneak attack a servant of the invincible lord of this desert, but saw no such Monster.

He did however spot a single Human standing near him, a Human that spoke in an arrogant tone.

"You there, take me to your master. Now!"

The Human just ordered him? A mere Human, giving HIM orders!? The Dragon was obviously irritated by such thing.

"Who's this little bug? Thinking it can talk to me like a superior? You're not even worth being a snack! Get out of my sight! I have a task at hand."

The Dragon spread his wings to take flight again, he can't allow himself to be distracted by this worthless twerp, he has a genocide mission to carry. But as he did so, the Human jumped towards him and kicked his huge draconic torso with his little foot.

So powerful was the kick that the Dragon was pushed many meters back, he was now feeling an intense pain on his chest on top of the pain on his head from the previous strike. Now the Dragon was certain, the one who injured him was this insignificant being.

"You! What are you!? There's no way you're a Human!"

"Oh, I'm a Human alright! So if you don't want to end up like your buddy there, you will take me to the place your master is!"

"End up like...who?"

The Dragon turned his gaze to the place Teinu was pointing, and saw something he couldn't believe.

"Kkaizhe! How...!?"

Seems the Dragon Teinu decapitated was called Kkaizhe.

But curiously, this Dragon either didn't or couldn't notice that Kkaizhe was dead before Teinu told him so. Granted, these 2 Dragons are adapted to this desert environment, so their scales are perfectly colored to allow them camouflage in the sands, but Dragons are supposed to have excellent senses, there's no way they wouldn't notice something like a partner being beheaded right next to them.

Perhaps these Dragons are too relatively young, maybe not even in the [Adult] category yet, hence explaining their undeveloped senses. The one in front of Teinu couldn't even detect the powerful panoply enveloping his body, giving testament to how weak the Dragon is.

"You killed Kkaizhe! You bastard!"

The Dragon spewed a powerful lightning breath attack, but Teinu simply used [Acceleration] to dodge it and land another kick, this time on the Dragon's jaw to interrupt the lightning breath.

Debris of fangs were scattered among the sands, and the Dragon's mouth was bleeding.

Teinu pointed one of his swords towards the Dragon and spoke in a furious tone this time.

"I said, take me to your master. Right. Now."

The wounded Dragon was staring daggers at Teinu, but eventually left out a small chuckle, as if he was mocking him.

"So earnestly you want to die? Alright then, my lord may forgive our failure to destroy the Human tribe if I present him a prey of your caliber, I will perhaps be even rewarded! Hahaha!"

The Dragon spread his wings and took flight at high speeds, this time he was headed to the opposite direction from before, and Teinu was trailing behind at comparable speeds. He could've ran much faster, he is a Level 100 Warrior after all, but he had no idea where the abode of the foul monster was, so he had to adjust his speed in order to not lose the Dragon's trail.

**[A few minutes later]**

Teinu saw large and weird formations of rocks at the distance, the figures of several Demi-Humans and Monsters were visible too, as well as Dragons similar to the ones sent to attack where flying around. He didn't had enhanced senses like his friends do, but his eyesight was at the absolute peak of humanity, so he could see much better into the distance than any other Human of this world could.

In the distance he could make the figures of several Behir, large blue serpentine monsters with 12 legs resembling a cross between a snake and a centipede. Those Monsters have a dangerous electric breath attack that could paralyze and inflict poison too, and usually range between Level 40-80 depending of their type.

Figures of Basilisks could be seen in the distance too, giant 8-legged biffy iguana-like Monsters with a deadly petrifying gaze. Those Monsters varied in Level and type too, but there existed variants that were dangerous even to max Level Players.

And if he pays attention, Teinu could also see smaller, but still relatively big, figures flying in the distance. Rocs like the one he beheaded before. A monstrous variant of that giant bird called Rukh, that was basically a big vulture with a second head growing in its torso. And maybe even Sphinxes variants too.

Whoever has all those Monsters under its control is undoubtedly very powerful, that's for sure. Teinu just hopes that whoever or whatever this foul beast is, it isn't one of the Dragon Lords he learned about earlier today.

Eventually the Dragon he was following landed near the place, Teinu stopped running too, and one of the Demi-Humans nearby addressed the Dragon.

"Zabhor, you killed the Humans I presume? And where's Kkaizhe?"

The Dragon, Zabhor, remained silent for a while before answering.

"Kkaizhe is dead. He was killed."

Zabhor purposely omitted the fact that he didn't got to destroy the Humans, there's no way he's letting lesser servants know of his failure.

"Oh, those Humans were tougher than we thought, if they managed to kill Kkaizhe and hurt you like that."

The Demi-Human, an Asabi, was analyzing Zabhor's body, contemplating his wounds, but Zabhor himself was stiff, he didn't liked the fact that an inferior reptile was seeing him wounded.

"None of your business, I need to report to our lord so get out of my way."

Normally, an annoyed Dragon would've killed an insolent Demi-Human right on that spot, but the lord of this deserts prohibits infighting between his servants. Even a whole tribe of Desert Dragons submits to the laws of someone else, that powerful is the foul beast that plagues these lands.

As the Asabi was about to move however, another Asabi who was also nearby walked towards Zabhor and raised his voice.

"Wait a bit, Zabhor. Who's that Human over there?"

The second Asabi was pointing his clawed finger at Teinu who could be seen in the distance from where they were standing.

"That one? Well, he..."

Zabhor was, for some reason, a bit nervous to respond. There's no way a Demi-Human would make a Dragon feel intimidated, but that Asabi is no common Demi-Human. That Asabi is a true monster who is renown as the Scourge of the Desert, arguably one of the strongest beings that inhabit these lands, and a high-ranked servant of their lord too.

That Asabi surpasses Zabhor in both power and authority, he even has the influence to affect their lord's decisions regarding who is useful and who isn't among the servants. In contrast to Zabhor who is very low in the command pole and doesn't even has subservants of his own yet.

"That Human looks surprisingly similar to the one our pursuit forces described as the one who killed Kanash and Mepit. That panoply, those blades, there's no doubt about that."

The high-ranked Asabi was staring daggers at Zabhor, but the Desert Dragon decided to swallow his pride and act the fool, THAT terrifying this Asabi is.

"That Human was following me? I had no idea, must have hidden his presence from me somehow."

The Asabi, for his part, didn't believed a single word Zabhor made up.

"Hiding from you? You expect me to believe this?"

"I swear lord Moreigh, I had no ide-"

In that instant, Zabhor's head exploded into smithereens. And just an instant after that the Asabi, Moreigh, appeared right in front of Teinu. A common person would have no idea what just happened, the head of a Dragon just blew up and the Asabi somehow teleported right in front of the Human.

In fact, that's what the Asabi from before that welcomed Zabhor think is what just happened. He couldn't make heads nor tails of anything that's going on.

Teinu, however, knows exactly what just happened: Moreigh used his fist to hit Zabhor's head with so much force that it instantly destroyed his skull, then ran towards him at incredibly high speeds. Both things happened literally in the blink of an eye.

Right now the Asabi was standing just 20 centimetres away from Teinu. He was very big, easily 2 and a half meters tall, was far more muscular than the other Asabi and had more spiky protrusions adorning his scales too.

Both were locking eyes, the size disparity between both of them could be considered ridiculous, almost laughable, but nobody around was laughing.

_'Such strength and speed, this Moreigh dude must be a Monk. I should be careful, just in case.'_

"You. You killed Kkaizhe didn't you? I can see it in your eyes, you're very strong."

"Oh, you can sense my strength? Is that one of the Monk abilities I've heard about?"

Moreigh formed a scaly smile on his face before answering.

"That's right, I can sense the strength of anyone surrounding me. However, I have a hard time figuring out the strength of anyone who is close or above my own level of strength. Which means, you're a Human on par with me, how unexpected."

_'So you don't consider the possibility that I'm stronger? What arrogance, mate.'_

Teinu would've loved to put this Demi-Human on its place, but he had a mission to accomplish.

"Well, the thing is, that Dragon you just killed promised me to take me to the place your master is. But now he's dead. So I guess you don't mind taking me there yourself?"

"Zabhor did? Oh, what an incompetent Dragon, that one. He and his brother were always idiot scum, but our master never ordered their deaths. Only a failure is proper justification for an execution, and both Zabhor and Kkaizhe were ordered to kill every single last one in the Human settlement."

_'This foul monster and his minions are nothing short of tyrants. Just like those soulless corporations back in my world...'_

"But they didn't only failed to kill every single last one of the Humans, since you're here alive and breathing, Zabhor was also shameless enough to guide you here, so his death by my hand will be seen as justifiable in the eyes of my lord, so I should thank you for giving me an excuse to get rid of that pest."

Teinu's face twisted into a hateful glare.

"Just, just how low do you think of your own comrades! Those Dragons were your friends!"

Moreigh for his part showed a confused expression.

"Friend? Is that the Human word for 'servant'?"

The Asabi just shook his head.

"Doesn't matter. As a way to show you my gratitude, I will make your death quick and painless. At the end it will be I who gets the credit for killing the last insolent Human, so that's another thing I should thank you for."

In just a fraction of a second, Moreigh charged his large bulky fist with powerful Ki and unleashed a devastating punch. He aimed at Teinu's head, since he wanted to be true to his promise of ending the Human's life quickly. The impact was enough to create a small cloud of sand, the shockwave of the attack could be felt even far away, a few Monsters even appeared on the scene to see what's going on.

After a few seconds the sand cloud dissipated, and what they saw defied common sense.

The unstoppable fist of Moreigh Bazzer, the strongest Demi-Human servant of their lord, was easily blocked by the blade of a Human. Teinu used the flat side of his katana to intercept the strike, there wasn't even a microscopic scratch on said sword, Moreigh himself was dumbfounded, while Teinu had an unimpressed expression on his face.

The Asabi jumped back, eyes still locked on the Human, he didn't knew what just happened, but he clearly hasn't lost his will to fight yet. Moreigh activated a buffing Monk Skill and tried to strike again, this time from behind, but this sneak attack was easily blocked too.

"Mmm. You're better than I thought. Or should I say, your weapons are sturdier than I thought."

Moreigh jumped back yet again, making himself sure he's far away from Teinu's reach.

"That's the thing with you Warriors, you have such low confidence in your own strength that you have to rely on weapons to do the fighting for you. It's a shame the other Asabi rely on weapons too, instead of polishing their own natural gifts like I've done."

"So you think my swords are what make me this strong?"

"That's correct. Needing mere pieces of metal makes you weak, even our lord thinks so. The fact that I went out of my way to build my own body is what gained my master's favour in the first place!"

"I see. So if I were to defeat you, it wouldn't be my own victory, but rather my weapons would be the victorious ones. That's what you're saying?"

"To even consider the possibility of you defeating me is beyond wishful thinking, but even if that impossible scenario were to pass, then yes, it would be because of those impressive swords that I was defeated. No Human could ever hope to approach the strength I have, hence why you need those things to even survive my hits."

Teinu remained silent for a second, then did something nobody saw coming. Moreigh's face twisted into a weird expression, clearly saying "what are you doing!?" through his face.

The Monsters watching the battle couldn't believe what Teinu was doing either.

"What the hell! The Human just dropped his swords into the sand!"

"Is he crazy? Those weapons can block Lord Moreigh's strikes! Does he want to die?"

"Should we grab them? They would make a fine addition to our lord's treasure hoard."

"Don't, you may get in Lord Moreigh's way. Just wait until the Human is dead, then we can offer his full panoply to our lord."

Teinu could perfectly hear their mocking remarks, but he just ignored them, his enemy is the Asabi in front of him. He took a fighting stance similar to those of the martial artists featured in action films and series, and shaped his hands into fists. Then, he drew and smile on his face and said 2 simple words.

"Come on."

Just 2 simple words, yet were more than enough to lit a rageful fire inside Moreigh.

"You lowly worm. To think I offered you a quick death!"

The Asabi let out a loud battle scream, then simultaneously activated every single Racial and Monk Skill that augmented his physical strength beyond the natural limits. It seemed as if Moreigh was enveloped in an aura of sorts since his body created a powerful force shockwave that pushed everything around him.

Even the surrounding Monsters could feel the sudden spike in Moreigh's strength.

Then, Moreigh vanished, he was moving so fast that only Teinu could follow his movements, the Asabi aimed his fist at Teinu's exposed back yet again, but this time much faster than before, striking his opponent with the greatest amounts of strength he has ever mustered so far. This must be the fastest Moreigh has ever moved in his entire life, so unaccustomed he was to this speed that his senses couldn't properly follow his own movements, and the fact that his explosive rage was also blinding him must be the reason why he took several seconds to realize what happened the moment his punch connected.

But he realized soon enough...

"My, my arm! MY ARM!"

Moreigh's arm was gone, obliterated all the way to the elbow. He quickly used a healing Monk Skill to stop the bleeding, but the pain didn't go away. He was now the angriest he has ever been, he couldn't understand why his arm just exploded like that, nor why the Human was still unharmed.

"You! What cheap trick did you just use! Tell me!"

In contrast to the wrath-filled and agitated Moreigh, Teinu was very calm and confident. Arrogant, even.

"Trick? I didn't use any trick. I just did what you did, attack with a punch."

Said Teinu while holding his fist up.

"Bullshit! That's not what happened! Tell me for real!"

Teinu simply shrugged with a mocking smile on his face.

"I don't know what to tell you man. You asked me what I did and I answered you. What do I care if you believe me or not."

Teinu's honest answer only infuriated Moreigh even more. But as the Asabi was about to strike yet again, this time with his remaining arm, one of the Monster spectators interrupted them.

"The Human isn't lying, Moreigh, he speaks the truth. He did return your strike with his own fist."

It was a Desert Dragon, a very large one, much bigger than Kkaizhe and Zabhor were. Another contrast were the eyes full of power and experience that Dragon has, taking such things into consideration Teinu speculates that this Dragon is much older, and by extension much powerful, than the Desert Dragons from before.

Said Dragon begun to slowly walk towards them, Teinu had a stoic expression on his face while Moreigh was panicking.

"L-lord Kyrkk'ai! Are, are you sure? This Human really did counterattack with his own punch!?"

"Uh? What's this? You're insinuating that my senses are faulty? That my combat perception is inferior? You say I'm weak?"

"No! NO! Of course not, Lord Kyrkk'ai! I would never dare say such thing!"

Moreigh now was totally ignoring Teinu, he was way too scared of the imposing Dragon in front of them.

_'He's calling him Lord. Is this the foul beast that terrorizes the Humans living here?'_

Teinu thinks that he finally found the monster he's been looking for. Perhaps if this Dragon is slain, the people will finally know peace.

_'Or will they? What if all these Monsters try to avenge their master and hunt me or the other Humans down until the end of the world? Also, what if they simply obey his orders out of fear? In that case, I doubt they will be interested in revenge.'_

Is killing this Monster Lord the smart answer? That's what Teinu is frying his brain to figure out right now. If only Anchelo were here, he's much smarter than Teinu is, and he would most likely provide the wisest choice.

But Teinu is alone now, he has to decide what to do by himself.

While he was scrambling his head, the Asabi and the Dragon kept talking.

"If you were at least half the fighter you think you are, you would've easily noticed what the Human did. You would've seen how his own fist clashed with yours, and how he used his own brute strength to overpower your attack and destroy your arm. To not notice something so obvious, you call yourself the Scourge of the Desert?"

"My deepest apologies Lord Kyrkk'ai, my own weakness shames me."

"You're not the only one ashamed, little Moreigh. This sand empire has no need of weak servants like you."

"Wait! Please Lord Kyrkk'ai! Give me another chance to-"

Kyrkk'ai's tail swiftly hit Moreigh like a wip, easily cutting the Asabi vertically in 2. It was a clean, perfect cut, anyone inspecting the corpse would assume that Moreigh was sliced by a high-grade sword, but it was a Dragon tailtip.

"Now that it's taken care of. Only you're left, Human. Leave this to me, everyone, you would just get in the way."

At those words, every single Demi-Human and Monster in the vicinity left the place, nobody dares to disobey.

_'Such speed, precision, and power. This Dragon must definitely be foul beast commanding this place. At least, I'm mostly certain.'_

Teinu picked up his swords again, he will fight more seriously now.

"Oh, you will fight me with your weapons? I was thinking you were an unarmed fighter like little Moreigh, masquerading as a Warrior to fool your opponents. But...those weapons you have..."

It seems this Dragon had his draconic nose for treasure well developed, another difference with the previous 2 bozos.

"Hard to think a fake Warrior would have swords and armor of the same caliber as you. To think there's a swordsman with such raw physical strength. I would like to offer you a once in a lifetime opportunity, Human. Become my servant."

Teinu just blinked twice at those unexpected words.

"Um, what?"

"You heard me. I offer you the chance to spare your life and become a vassal of the new Dragon Empire."

"New? Something happened to the old one?"

"Dragons are the rightful rulers of this world, if not for the interference of the beings known as the filth of the old Dragon Emperor, then we would continue to rule this world unhindered."

_'What the hell is this guy talking about? Filth? Dragon Emperor?'_

"But we will amass our power, expand our borders beyond this desert, and then a new Dragon Emperor will arise to reclaim this world!"

Kyrkk'ai said that last sentence with tremendous pride, he even unconsciously spread his wings wide. Teinu thinks that this Dragon is extremely full of himself, out there Momonga is ruling (almost) everything with that stupidly overpowered Guild Base, this guy wants to rule the entire world? Make a Dragon Empire? Come on.

"And now that you're aware of such thing, you understand the magnitude of the offer I just gave you, no? Only a fool would refuse to be a pawn of such magnificent Empire."

After Kyrkk'ai finished his monologue silence reigned for a while, only the howling wind could be heard. It seems the Dragon really was waiting for a response.

"Yeaaaaaah. No."

"What?"

"You heard me, I have no interest in your whatever Empire. I want to live my life in this world the way I want, enjoy freedom!"

As a person who grew up and lived in such a dull and terrible world like Earth, where people were treated like mere objects, Teinu has no intention of being anyone's slave in this world.

"How can freedom possibly be better than living under the mighty rule of dragonkind!? You colossal idiot! It seems I have to beat into you the power difference between you and me. If you won't obey willingly, you will do so by force!"

At that moment, a terribly huge and powerful blast of lightning was expelled from Kyrkk'ai's mouth. It was dozens of times stronger than Zabhor's, much faster too. The potency of the breath attack caught Teinu off guard, but he used [Acceleration] right on time to dodge it and move behind the huge Dragon.

He jumped forward and tried to use the mid-level Skill [Vorpal Strike] to behead the Dragon, but Kyrkk'ai was fast enough to dodge Teinu's attack.

_'Not bad.'_

Kyrkk'ai flew upwards and unleashed yet another breath attack towards the Human, but this time Teinu decided to counterattack.

"[Skill - Avalanche]!"

This was actually a sword Skill you use downwards when you have the upper ground, but Teinu used it upwards to intercept the lightning breath, and turns out that Teinu's gut feeling was right, this Dragon is just mid-level or so, stronger than the previous 2 but much weaker than him seeing how a mid-level Skill could destroy the breath attack so easily.

"You're truly magnificent, to think you can rival the power of my breath."

Kyrkk'ai landed several meters away from Teinu, he was keeping his distance despite acting so high and mighty.

"Killing you would indeed be a waste, so I will use my own strength to hammer discipline and obedience into you. A servant of your caliber will do wonders to our cause."

"Funny, I want to hammer into you the difference in our individual strengths too."

"...I will start by ripping off your tongue. A slave has no need of a voice."

A clearly irritated Kyrkk'ai lunged himself forward and used his myriad of natural weapons to attack Teinu, claws, fangs, and even the tail that was still dripping of Moreigh's blood was clashing with [Raijin and Fūjin] but to no avail. Natural weapons simply pale in comparison with high-level gear.

Teinu eventually realized that this much was all this Dragon could do, a moderate breath attack and heavy blows, that's it. A far cry from the Dragons of YGGDRASIL. His opponent couldn't offer him anything more, so he decided to end this.

"[Skill - Meteor Break]!"

Teinu unleashed a 7-hit sword attack Skill that consisted of several strong and precise slashes that ended with a final attack aimed at the enemy's neck. It's a mere mid-level Skill, but it was more than enough to finish off the so-called "foul monster".

After a final flash of Teinu's blade, Kyrkk'ai remained standing for a while before finally collapsing, his lifeless body filled with cuts remaining still on the cold sand.

Teinu jumped on top of the corpse, filled his lungs with shilly air and spoke in a bombastic voice.

"Your master is dead! Killed by me! A Human!"

Some seconds after said noisy declaration several of the Monsters that kept their distance during the fight were now approaching the scene. They were moving with caution and obvious confusion, some of them clearly couldn't believe what was going on, and refused to accept Teinu's words, even. But nobody could deny the Dragon corpse that the Human was currently standing on.

"You no longer have to obey the commands of this beast! If you were here against your will, you are free now! But if you were truly loyal to this monster and look for revenge, then come and challenge me! Here I am!"

Teinu spread both his arms and by extension his swords. Clearly a welcoming sign for combat, he will cut down any beast that dares try to avenge Kyrkk'ai. It does sound heartless, but these Monsters may try to destroy the Human tribe he currently tries to save in the future, and he can't be with them to protect them forever since his place is by his friends' side, there's no way he would trade total strangers for the ones he has gone through thick and thin with.

He has to end any potential danger against the native Humans here and now.

Several seconds passed and no Monster nor Demi-Human got near him, their primal instincts were clearly warning them against this small Human who easily killed such large and powerful Dragon.

_'Good, they're scared shitless of me.'_

Just as Teinu lowered his arms and prepared to deliver a final warning, he saw a large figure on the distance becoming bigger and bigger by the second.

"Oh, one of you does want to avenge your master? Bring it on then!"

It seems there are always those who willingly chose to serve tyrants. Teinu feels sorry for them, but he feels even worse for the oppressed Humans, so he decided to slay anyone who is still loyal to Kyrkk'ai.

The Monsters who noticed said approaching creature turned tail and escaped, even the Behir and Basilisks were little more than scared animals now, it seems the creature approaching him is a terrifying one, no doubt. However, it was different from the way they kept their distance before, back when Kyrkk'ai ordered them to get away. Now, the creatures aren't following anyone's orders, they are genuinely scared for their lives, it's almost as if they fear this looming beast far more than they feared Kyrkk'ai.

But Kyrkk'ai was their master, no? Monsters only obey stronger Monsters, Teinu can't find any reason why a creature stronger than Kyrkk'ai would willingly submit to him.

Unless...

_'I made a mistake? This Dragon I just killed wasn't their ruler?'_

Teinu just shrugged it off and took a battle stance, doesn't matters who nor what this creature is, he just has to kill it and problem solved. He hopes.

He allowed a cocky smile to form on his face, perhaps this new creature can give him a proper challenge. But as the creature finally came into clear view, his smile froze.

_'No...anything but this...this can't be happening...'_

Approaching him was one of the very last creatures he hoped to find. One of those beings that, according to Daifuku, are capable of fighting on par with Players like him.

One of those even killed a Player centuries ago.

The Dragon Lord eventually got close enough for Teinu to have an idea of his colossal size, such huge difference from the previous Dragons he saw, even YGGDRASIL had few creatures as humongous as this.

They both locked eyes. Teinu's smile was all gone now, but he was determined still. The Dragon Lord for his part seemed to have an unimpressed expression, he simply opened his mouth slowly.

Teinu knew what that meant so he used [Acceleration] to get out of the way, and in that moment a huge corroding cone of acid was expelled from the Dragon Lord's mouth, a breath attack that instantly dissolved Kyrkk'ai's corpse.

There was such disparity in their sizes that even the Dragon Lord's breath attack was still larger than Kyrkk'ai's body.

After making enough distance between him and the Dragon Lord Teinu begun to activate several buffing Skills on himself, his mind shifted into PK mode, and begun to remember all the details he recently heard about this Dragon.

_'Let's see...something about natural weapons, shooting spiked scales against his opponent, excellent battle skill I think...man, if only Anchelo and the others were here.'_

He would feel far more confident if he had his friends to watch his back, but only he is here, he has to make do with his own abilities.

The gigantic Dragon Lord finally shifted his eyes towards Teinu, the unimpressed expression was still painted on his scaled face, and spoke in a slightly annoyed tone.

"I always knew this poor excuse of a Dragon would be eventually killed, he even dared to sport the title of 'Desert Dragon Lord' before I took control of this lands. To mock our titles like that. Death is what happens to the weak, he deserved this. But to think it would be a single Human, fighting alone. My kind has truly fallen."

Teinu remained silent, he will wait for his opponent to make the first move.

"Or perhaps...was it your panoply what granted you victory?"

It seems his draconic nose for treasure, too, was superior to Kyrkk'ai's.

"This magnificent yet disgusting scent. I haven't sensed something like this since...since..."

At that moment, the Dragon Lord's expression slowly twisted. Now, his face was painted with deep hate, for some reason the Equipment Teinu is currently wearing just made the Dragon Lord feel very, very angry.

At such sight, Teinu held a tighter grip on his blades, and despite the cold night desert wind a drop of sweat was falling from his forehead. He doesn't wants this, he doesn't wants to face this unknown enemy alone, but he has too.

"You...those weapons you are wielding. You are the Dragon Emperor's filth, are you not?"

"I'm the what now?"

"Don't paint me a fool!"

The Dragon Lord swinged his tail at bullet speeds and countless pointy scales were shot towards Teinu like oversized arrows. Compared to the Dragon Lord these natural projectiles seemed tiny, but each of them was over 10 times larger a fully grown Human being, and were monstrously fast too.

Luckily for Teinu, natural weapons are still natural weapons, his katanas are superior to the spiked scales so it was easy for him to slice and destroy them.

"No weapon of this frail world could possibly cut my scales so easily. There's no need to play the jester now, you damned filth."

Teinu still has no idea what the Dragon Lord is talking about, but his intentions are crystal clear, this Dragon wants blood.

"To think we would cross paths again. Don't know if it's misfortune, or luck."

The Dragon Lord was slowly walking towards him now, and he was talking as if he and Teinu knew from somewhere or saw each other before. But Teinu is really certain that he would remember a spiky Dragon with thick wings and a split scythe tail, so all those words were just nonsense to him.

"For so long I imagined, what would I possibly say to you. But at the end I decided that it doesn't matter, there's no need for words, not for world-polluting filth like you."

In a mere heartbeat the Dragon Lord raised his arm and enhanced his claws with Wild Magic before bringing it down like a guillotine, Teinu barely reacted with [Acceleration] on the nick of time.

The Dragon didn't gave him a breather, now both his claws and fangs were imbued with potent Wild Magic. The flurry of physical attacks was relentless and merciless, a single false move and Teinu could be ripped to shreds. Of course, he has no way of actually knowing that Wild Magic can bypass the protection of his Divine-class armor [Kotoamatsukami] to deliver fatal damage, but his instincts are screaming him danger nonetheless.

Teinu decided to create some distance and used the high-level Warrior Skill [Supersonic] which was a much faster version of [Acceleration] to get as far as he could from this crazed Dragon.

After some seconds of running he turned his head to see behind him, expecting to see the Dragon Lord as a mere blur in the distance, but what he did saw left him dumbfounded.

"You gotta be shitting me!"

The Dragon Lord had rolled himself into a ball-like shape and was spinning like a wheel at incredibly high speeds, so fast that he was slowly catching up to Teinu.

Such sight was reminiscent of that super old videogame series featuring an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog that ran at high speeds and rolled himself into a ball. The situation would almost be comical, if it weren't for the fact that Teinu could die if he's careless, that is.

Now every single scale in the Dragon Lord's body was buffed with Wild Magic, making him a gigantic saw of pure destruction. Teinu couldn't just keep running forever, so he decided to counterattack.

"[Skill - Kyokujitsujin]"

[Kyokujitsujin] (Rising Sun Edge) enveloped the user's blades in a hyper intense mantle of flames, even grazing the opponent with this is enough to cause severe burns. But this was just the buffing Skill to make sure the real strike does some damage, so Teinu jumped, turned around, and used his most powerful single-hit slash Skill.

"[Skill - Tenchi Kaijin]!"

Both katanas which were already flared up with powerful fire exploded with divine flames to deliver twin energy slashes.

If used by a Level 100 Warrior like Teinu and buffed by the appropriate Skills, [Tenchi Kaijin] (Heaven and Earth End in Ashes) is a terrible Skill that can incinerate even high-level gear and outright destroy mid-level gear and below. His opponent may be a high-level Dragon Lord, but Dragons are still just Monsters that rely on natural armor, if this flaming attack can severely damage even Legendary-class armor then there's no way a Dragon could withstand it.

And turns out he was just half-right. His Skill was enough to interrupt the rolling motion and stop the Dragon Lord on his tracks, the sheer force was enough to push the gigantic body many meters back, and received some damage too considering the burnt marks he left on his numerous scales, but Teinu was perplexed by the low amount of damage his opponent received, far less than he expected.

_'What the hell, his scales are on par with high-level gear!? That's bullshit!'_

Teinu was cursing both his unfair enemy and his own poor luck that made him cross paths with said enemy in the first place. But the Dragon Lord however was seemingly amazed.

"Now there's no doubt in my mind, you really are the filth of the Dragon Emperor. At last, I will have my revenge! It will be I, Guste Mik the Thousand Blade Dragon Lord, the one who destroys the filth! Me and nobody else!"

It seems this guy, Guste Mik is his name apparently, was now talking to himself.

"Dirvelek...Huyrtob...those damned Mairgoleido and Tsaindorcus too, they will have no choice but to recognize me as their superior!"

Guste Mik wasn't looking at the Human in front of him anymore, rather, his mind was projecting the images of those Dragon Lords he resents from the bottom of his heart, the ones he always yearned to surpass for centuries.

So big was his bottled up rage and frustration that he instinctively charged up his acidic breath attack and unleashed a ridiculously huge cone of corroding acid. It was much bigger than the one that dissolved Kyrkk'ai's body, and Guste Mik can control the level of acidity of his breath so the corroding ability of this one was also leagues ahead of the previous breath.

Teinu used [Supersonic] again instead of [Acceleration] to dodge since his gut told him that a mid-level Skill wouldn't be fast enough to escape the breath. And he was right, had he used [Acceleration] he would've been caught in the acid, and who knows what such thing would've done to his weapons, armor, or himself.

But Guste Mik didn't stopped there, his acid breath followed Teinu wherever he ran to, he's determined to not give his enemy even the smallest breather. The filth will die here and now, that's what the Thousand Blade Dragon Lord has decided.

Teinu was obviously sick of running away, [Supersonic] is a high-level Skill that has limited daily uses so he has to find a way to either incapacitate this Dragon Lord, or kill him. The buff of [Kyokujitsujin] hadn't dissipated from his swords yet, so now he will try something else.

He pushed his speed Skill a little further to close the distance and, once he was near the Dragon Lord, activated another powerful Skill. If a single-hit attack won't do, then a multiple-hit attack may do the trick.

"[Skill - Starbust Stream]!"

While the previous attack Skills he has been using during this fight come from his [Rōnin] Job Class, this particular one comes from his [Saviour] Job Class. Those 2 Job Classes alongside [Knight of Midgard] are the strongest Job Classes on Teinu's build, since Humanoids are unable to build Racial Levels to increase their overall strength they must pick the strongest Job Classes they can get if they want to stand against Demi-Humans and Heteromorphs because, even at Level 100, Human Players are still weaker than their monstrous peers.

[Starbust Stream] is normally a 16-hit combo Skill that works by stockpiling damage with each sword attack, each slash is stronger than the previous one. However, Teinu is one of the few Players in the entirety of YGGDRASIL that can increase the upper limit of attacks from 16 to 21, making said Skill incredibly deadly when he uses it since those 5 extra slashes stack with the stockpiled damage of the previous 16 slashes.

He will compensate lack of quality with quantity, that's how Humanoid Players could stand up against Demi-Human and Heteromorph Players in the game. Of course, there were always monstrous Players that had both quality AND quantity, in which case there wasn't much a Humanoid Player could do, their best choice in that scenario would be to team up with other Humans and overwhelm their monstrous enemy.

However, Teinu is alone now, he has to defeat this Monster that surpasses his own strength by himself.

Thanks to [Supersonic] Teinu could aim each of the 21 sword strikes at the joints and other weak-looking parts of Guste Mik's humongous body, he was so fast that even shooting out spikes against him couldn't stop him nor slow down his combo Skill. The final slash in particular was aimed at the Dragon Lord's neck, and even though Guste Mik did buff his already hard scales with Wild Magic, the stockpiled damage of [Starbust Stream] was so big that his Dragon scales might as well be thin paper against Teinu's blades.

"Argh! Dammed fiiiiiilth!"

After delivering the final strike Teinu made some distance before the effects of [Supersonic] ran out, that is the ultimate movement Skill Level 100 Fighters can use after all, nobody should be able to spam it to their heart's content. There's only 1 daily use left too, so Teinu will try to limit himself to use [Acceleration] since the last use of [Supersonic] should be reserved for the final, fatal strike.

_'This is it, the fight is serious now. No turning back.'_

Guste Mik's neck was gushing out blood like a waterfall, and the other areas of his body cut by [Starbust Stream] weren't in any better conditions. Teinu couldn't kill the Dragon Lord with this, but at the very least it seems his movements will be impaired, so Teinu will have more openings to deliver fatal strikes. Hopefully.

"As if..."

"Uh?"

"As if I would lose, to the filth, again!"

In that moment emerald green flames begun to emanate from Guste Mik's body, his entire body was covered in fire. The gaping wound on his neck stopped bleeding too, this isn't a healing Wild Magic Spell, but rather the Dragon Lord forcefully closed the wound on his neck. It hurt a lot, but to Guste Mik who has suffered throughout his long and arduous life, such pain is nothing.

In fact, he will even use said pain to fuel his rage and strength beyond limits, he won't allow the filth to catch him by surprise again.

Guste Mik jumped forward and begun to spin at high speeds, transforming his body into a giant drill with the appearance of a green fire tornado, a tornado aimed at the Human who just used [Acceleration] and other high speed movement Skills on top of it to evade the incredibly fast Dragon Lord. This combination of Skills still wasn't as fast as [Supersonic] was, obviously, but Teinu doesn't plans to escape, not anymore.

There's a Skill called [Air Step] that flightless Warriors can use to compensate for the lack of flying Spells. It basically creates an invisible foothold in the air you can use to step on and reach higher places. Since it's a low-level Skill you get early on it has no cooldown of any sort and no limited daily uses either, meaning you can use it endlessly throughout the fight.

Teinu was using [Air Step] to run up high into the sky at high speeds with the Dragon Lord tailing him behind. Unlike the previous persuit however, Guste Mik now was shooting out scaled projectiles towards Teinu. But also unlike before, these projectiles weren't just fired at him like arrows, they were following his movements in the air as if they were homing missiles.

"What the hell! That's cheating bro!"

Despite the fast spinning movements Guste Mik is still perfectly aware of his surroundings, his draconic senses are more than capable of pinpointing the exact location of the Dragon Emperor's filth. So by using the Job Classes he attained during his long and harsh training as part of the Anti-Player Alliance, Guste Mik can shoot out his scales (which are engulfed in emerald Wild Magic fire) with tremendous force, high speed, perfect accuracy, and can guide their trajectory even after they're no longer connected to his body.

Teinu realizes that simply dodging won't be enough, so he once again coated his blades with [Kyokujitsujin] in order to slice away any homing scale that gets too close. But there was no end to them, they just kept coming and coming no matter how many he destroyed, so he tried something else.

"[Skill - Tsumujiguruma]!"

This is an omnidirectional Skill that is activated by the user spinning his weapons around in order to create horizontal 360 degrees slashes. [Tsumujiguruma] (Whirling Wheel) destroyed all the scales aimed at him, and even though Guste Mik is perfectly capable of simply firing more, this little breather is all Teinu needed.

Once high enough in the sky, Teinu can use another powerful Skill of his [Saviour] Job Class. The higher he is, the better. He held one of his swords upwards, and then activated his attack.

"[Skill - Saint Bow]!"

As he lowered his raised sword downward, a massive pure-white lightning arrow fell at light speed from the heavens. It hit Guste Mik head-on, but this time his powerful Skill wasn't enough to interrupt the Dragon Lord's momentum, but the spinning motion was slightly slowed down by the attack, so he kept pushing.

"[Skill - Zanjitsu Gokui]. [Skill - Heart of Chosen One]."

[Zanjitsu Gokui] (Remnant Sun Prison Garb) is a defensive Skill that covers the user in a mantle of divine fire, while [Heart of Chosen One] is the strongest buffing Skill Teinu has.

This time he used [Air Step] to jump downwards like a meteor and directly clash against Guste Mik, stacking 2 high-level Skills into a single strike.

"[Skill - Tenchi Kaijin]! [Skill - Meteoric Stomp]!"

[Meteoric Stomp] by itself isn't very strong, but the added damage bonus it gives if you use it while falling downwards makes it a very popular Skill that everyone tried to successfully pull off during high-level PvP.

Combining these 2 Skills plus the most powerful buffing Skill in Teinu's arsenal was enough to cancel out Guste Mik's spinning attack and cause him even greater damage than before. Thanks to [Zanjitsu Gokui] the emerald flames didn't made him any harm either.

Since a bludgeoning Skill was merged into the attack a good amount of Guste Mik's scales were shattered into shrapnel, leaving a big chunk of his head exposed. The Skill combination was also capable of pushing his giant body downwards with unimaginable force, now the Dragon Lord was falling at very high speeds.

Teinu attempted to use long-range Skills to keep his flurry of attacks going, but Guste Mik spread his thick wings to stop his fall and unleashed another acid breath, forcing him to use [Air Step] to dodge and outmaneuver the Dragon Lord in aerial combat.

Right now the Swordsman is really envious of the [Teleportation] Spell Magic Casters can use, since such thing would be far more useful and less taxing to him in this current situation than running around at high speeds in the air.

But alas, Teinu must make do with what he has. And turns out it's easier to dodge the breath attack in the air than it is in the ground, so now he can focus on attacks more.

Guste Mik for his part didn't attempted to use neither of his spinning attacks again, it seems he's more wary of Teinu now, so he limited himself to long-range attacks like his breath weapon and flaming scaled projectiles.

"What's this? You're keeping your distance?"

The Dragon didn't responded to that taunt, not with words at least.

Guste Mik used Wild Magic to push his acid weapon beyond its limits, all the emerald flames enveloping his body condensed on his mouth. So acidic it became that even the insides of his body were being corroded by his own charging breath weapon.

Teinu braced himself to perfectly time his dodge, but this time the unleashed breath attack was much faster and wider than the previous ones, so much that the right side of his body was caught in the acid cone.

"AAAAAAAAAARGH!"

He hurriedly tried to make distance but it was difficult to evade the large acid cone even in the air. So in his desperation Teinu used the last daily [Supersonic] he had to evade the acid cone, get close enough to Guste Mik and, before the Dragon Lord could even notice, buried his katanas into his oversized torso to activate the most powerful Skill of his [Knight of Midgard] Job Class.

"[Skill - Rage of YGGDRASIL]!"

This is an explosion-like Skill that uses the 4 elements to make your enemy implode from the inside, hence why you must bury your weapons into their body.

A good chunk of Dragon flesh was completely obliterated in just an instant, so much damage was inflicted on Guste Mik that he couldn't even maintain his acid breath no more, but Teinu wasn't done, he used his last daily [Tenchi Kaijin] on top of his Skill to make the lethal wound even more lethal.

If Teinu could use [Life Essence] he would be able to see the dwindled amount of HP Guste Mik has left, the Human Swordsman has made a huge number on this Dragon Lord, but the fight isn't over yet.

Before [Supersonic] ran out Teinu took advantage of Guste Mik's confusion to make distance and take out a Full Restore Potion from his Item Box which he immediately drank. His pain and acid burns where gone, but who knows how much damage his sword and part of his armor sustained. They're Divine-class, yes, but Guste Mik is a high-level True Dragon Lord, Teinu's body now knows firsthand how dangerous they are. Had the enhanced breath attack hit his full body instead of just half of it, Teinu may have been killed then and there.

Guste Mik for his part recovered his composure soon enough. He was the most wounded he has ever been, but he was also the angriest too. His eyes were locked on the Human, eyes full of rage and despair.

"How dare you hurt me like this, you damned filth!"

This isn't what Guste Mik had planned for centuries, not at all. All the hellish training he endured to surpass the Dragon Emperor's filth was meant to cement his place as the strongest Dragon Lord, yet there the filth is, easily wounding the body he spent an entire lifetime to hone, and quickly recovering of any wound he does manage to inflict! This isn't how death fights are supposed to be!

Teinu took notice of the Dragon's enraged tone. One would normally feel intimidated by such a powerful beast in a seriously wounded state, but he wasn't intimidated at all.

He briefly remembered the Humans he saw soon after he arrived on this desert, the wounded father and mother, the scared little child, and all the slaughtered people they saw on their way back to their tribe, scattered piles of corpses that reminded him of the unfortunate people back on his world that couldn't secure a job under a black-hearted corporation and thus starved to death homeless and alone in the streets.

Now it was Teinu the one who was angry.

"How dare I? How dare YOU hurt innocent people for no reason! What did those Humans ever did to you!? What could they possibly do to you!? I bet you didn't even knew them, did you!? You will pay for what you've done! I swear!"

"Do you feel pity for the insects you step on? The beasts whose flesh you feed upon? What are Humans to me? What is everything to me? I am a Dragon Lord! A rightful ruler of this world!"

It seems neither of them will ever see eye-to-eye.

Teinu spoke high and mighty just now, but he wants to end this as soon as possible, prolonging this fight is no good for him. While he does have 2 [Starbust Stream] left today, he isn't sure if Guste Mik will allow him to connect 21 slashes on his body again, especially since he just used the last [Supersonic] he had.

No choice left, he will use his trump card. He's not sure if Guste Mik is a Boss, but he will run that risk.

He ran as fast as he could with the movement Skills he has left towards Guste Mik, and his draconic enemy followed suit. Both were running at each other to deliver the final blow.

"[Skill - Heart of Chosen One]! [Skill - Star Slayer]!"

With a 72 hours cooldown, [Star Slayer] is an extremely powerful Skill that does non-elemental damage against evil-aligned beings. Teinu is certain that Guste Mik is as evil as you can get in this or any world, so this attack should either finish him, or left him a severely weakened state. Assuming he isn't a Boss, that is.

[Raijin and Fūjin] flared up with pure-white flames, while Guste Mik once again flared up with emerald green flames, but it matters little since Teinu's trump card can bypass any defensive Skill or Spell.

Full of confidence, he jumped forwards and swinged both swords against the Dragon Lord while he attempted to perform another spinning attack, and luckily enough, the Skill connected. The spinning motion was interrupted and Guste Mik was being pushed back a considerable distance.

Teinu left out a loud "Yes!" while his energy slash pierced through Guste Mik's body like a knife, for an instant he thought that he finally won, that the Humans living in this desert will finally be safe now, but what happened next blew out his hope like the light of a candle.

Guste Mik "grabbed" the energy slash piercing his body with his claws (somehow) and injected Wild Magic into them, destroying the [Star Slayer] Skill just like that.

_'Wha...what...what!? WHAT!? But, h-he's evil! That Dragon ordered the demise of innocent people! How can he not be evil!? What the hell!'_

Teinu was dumbfounded, how could his strongest Skill possibly fail against an evil being?

As it turns out however, Teinu made a fatal mistake. His enemy, the Thousand Blade Dragon Lord, is NOT an evil being.

While the other 5 Dragon Lords of the Anti-Player Alliance do in fact have tons of Negative Karma, Guste Mik is arguably the member with the "highest" Karma rating. Of course, his Karma isn't very high in the spectrum, he is merely what could be considered a Neutral being, with neither extremely low nor extremely high Karma.

That is because of the nature of Guste Mik's actions. While the other Dragon Lords simply enjoyed to stomp and abuse the weak, Guste Mik did what he did for most of his life not out of some sadistic pleasure, but simply to survive. The laws of this world don't consider "evil" the notion of doing everything you can to preserve your own life, so it seems that the fact that Guste Mik was always weaker than his peers is what ironically protected him from the strongest attack the Dragon Emperor's filth could possibly throw at him.

But Teinu couldn't see such thing from the neutral point of view of this world, he could only see such thing from his own biased Human point of view, so there's no way he could possibly understand why Guste Mik isn't an evil being.

The Dragon Lord once again forcefully stopped his bleeding and directed his gaze towards the shocked Human.

"My turn."

The emerald flames enveloping his entire body were amassed on the tips of his scythe-like tail, and each second the intensity of the fire was increasing more and more, Guste Mik is concentrating all the power he has left on his tail, something that big can't be other than his trump card.

It was an overwhelming power, so big that it made Teinu snap back into reality. His trump card failed but he still has 2 [Starbust Stream] left, perhaps he can find a way to connect 42 sword slashes without [Supersonic]...maybe. He himself knows how ridiculous such thing sounds, but what choice he has left? Run away? He can't even do that with the dwindled amount of Skills he has left. And if he somehow escapes he's certain that Guste Mik will make the native Humans pay, he can't possibly allow that to happen.

He reinforced his resolve and took his battle stance, he still has a chance! If he can dodge whatever comes next perhaps he can find an opening to use his Skill. Teinu prepared himself for anything the Dragon could possibly throw at him. Anything, except for what Guste Mik did throw at him.

The massive draconic body jumped high, and with a single body spin he shot a huge crescent moon-shaped slash from his tailtip. Any onlooker may think that such thing is far too simplistic for a trump card, but a hardcore Player knows otherwise, such thing is not a simple slash attack. Quite the opposite, Guste Mik somehow fired the absolute strongest Warrior Skill that existed in the entirety of YGGRRASIL.

[World Break]

Among the Eight Greed Kings that slaughtered the Dragons 600 years ago, one of them belonged to the absolute strongest group of Fighters, the World Champions. This specific Greed King was the greatest bane of dragonkind, he alone killed far more Dragons than all 7 of his peers combined, his [World Break] is something the few Dragons that survived him still see on their nightmares even to this day.

But Guste Mik is the sole Dragon that used that nightmare as fuel on his quest for power, he took that nightmare and made it his own, he managed to refine his Wild Magic to the point of being able to mimic the Skill that took the lives of so many Dragon Lords of the old world. Of course, a mere True Dragon Lord can't possibly be on the same level of a World Champion, but his own custom-made [World Break] is close enough. And of course, the Soul price is extremely high, but if it means the destruction of the filth then Guste Mik is more than willing to pay that price.

Teinu didn't stopped to consider why his enemy could use [World Break] and just focused every single fiber of his being to dodge the attack, something he barely did, but Teinu could still feel that he received damage by simply being grazed by the attack.

What would've happened if the slash attack connected? Better not think about that, he just needs to focus on exploiting the opening he now has since mimicking [World Break] took a huge toll on Guste Mik, this is the chance Teinu needed! He activated [Starbust Stream] and prepared to start his combo, it seems he will really save the native Humans after all, Teinu felt a warm sense of victory and accomplishment filling his body.

Then, that warm sense was swiftly replaced by pain. Unfathomable pain.

After apparently missing his mark, the Dragon Lord used his remaining Wild Magic to turn the [World Break] around and hit Teinu from behind.

Guste Mik missed the previous slash attack on purpose, he wanted Teinu to forget evasion and defense by giving him the impression that his trump card failed and he was vulnerable to attack, a trap that Teinu was naive enough to fall in.

A cheap, dirty trick. No honorable Warrior would ever do what Guste Mik just did.

Teinu felt pure agony, but his body wasn't sliced in half, and his armor wasn't scratched either. That's because Guste Mik's [World Break] doesn't cut physical matter, it cuts the Soul.

If it weren't for [Kotoamatsukami]'s HP tickle function, an ability of his armor that always leaves him with at least 1 health point every time a fatal attack is used once (an ability similar to the ones Death Knights have), he would've died with that attack just now.

But in the current situation he's in, he might as well be dead. With just 1 HP digit left he lacks the strength to even move, his rag doll-like body fell almost lifelessly to the ground, he was now at the total mercy of the Dragon Lord.

"It took a while, but you did fell at the end. To think you're still alive. But no matter."

Teinu's senses were dulled by his piercing pain and low vitality, but he could still roughly understand what Guste Mik was saying.

"As I told you before, there's no need for any words, so you can forget any last wish. I won't give you the chance to pull out any more tricks, so you will die right now."

The Dragon lifted his arm, and his claws in said arm were enhanced with Wild Magic.

"Farewell, filth."

And just like that, Guste Mik lowered his arm like a guillotine.

Time seemed to stop from Teinu's perspective, a second felt like an eternity to him now that he's certain that he's about to die.

_'So this is it? I'm gonna die here? I can't believe I screwed up so badly. So much for a fantastic Parallel World adventure.'_

The heroes in those old series who were transported to magical worlds always won against the evil monsters they fought against, but this world he and his friends were taken to is anything but.

_'Those innocent people, that little kid...he will never grow to become an adult...because I was too weak.'_

After remembering the face of that small child he just met today, a tear fell from his eye. He promised to save them from this beast, but he didn't. Guste Mik is adamant to wipe out any disobedience, so all the Humans living here will be eliminated, and it's all his fault.

He felt anger at Momonga for not protecting the people living here, he felt anger at his friends for not being here to fight with him, he felt anger at Guste Mik for being such an evil and selfish monster, but above everything, he felt anger at himself for failing to uphold his word.

If only he had chosen an Heteromorphic Race instead of a Humanoid Race to play as. It's true that Humanoids like him enjoy more Skills overall, but the strongest Skills (the ones that are most useful in high-level combat) have limited daily uses and long cooldowns. Heteromorphs usually don't have as much Skills, but they enjoy the highest stats, and unlike Skills, the stats never leave you. Not to mention the simple fact that better stats mean stronger Skills, so the fewer Skills Heteromorphs do have are leagues above the Skills Humanoids like him have.

Teinu certainly would've used better stats during this fight, that way he wouldn't have needed to burn all his Skills so quickly, but it's too late to Race change and build the necessary Racial Levels to have the strength he needed to defeat Guste Mik. At this point, all he can do is accept his fate.

With his heart full of regrets, Teinu closed his eyes, and prayed that wherever his friends are, they are okay.

He expected to be ripped apart any moment now, but no pain ever befell him. For a moment he thought he was finally dead, so he opened his eyes again, and what he saw blew his mind.

The arm that was supposed to crush him was dismembered from Guste Mik's body, it was cut with such strength and precision that it was sent flying away. The Dragon Lord was screaming in pain, Teinu has no idea what's going on.

Guste Mik directed his view towards someone Teinu couldn't see, his vision was too blurry and he lacked the strength to move his head, but it was definitely someone hostile judging by the Dragon's expression. He could however roughly make out what Guste Mik said next.

"More filth!? You will die too!"

_'Another...Player...? Ragnar...? Asmodel...?'_

Teinu allowed a faint sense of relief wash over him. It obviously existed the possibility that this new assailant was just an enemy of the Dragon Lord and not really an ally of his, but help is still help, especially if you were at death's door just a second ago.

Guste Mik forgot about him and rushed to confront this unknown new opponent. Teinu couldn't see what was going on, but he could scarcely hear the mysterious entity shout out something that ringed some bells on his head.

"[Skill - Acalanatha]! [Fudo Kensaku]!"

That Skill, it was the first strike needed to carry out the Wisdom King Strike!

The Wisdom King Strike was a series of coordinated Samurai Skills that, if pulled out successfully, will push the DPS through the roof and beyond. Since it was the combination of several high-level Skills and not a single ultra powerful Skill, such thing doesn't really registers as a trump card. Hence, it was one of the very few ultimate moves that could be used against Bosses.

The mysterious entity shouted again.

"[Trailokyavijayarāja]!"

This was the second Skill in the combo series.

"[Yamāntaka]!"

The third.

"[Kundali]!"

The fourth.

"[Vajrayaksa]!"

The final one. Whoever this being is, it surely possesses great level of skill with the sword to pull out the Wisdom King Strike by itself. Unless, this unknown helper is accompanied with allies, that is.

If only he could move his head to see.

But in any case, he could hear the activation of the Wisdom King Strike followed by a painful Dragon wail. Then, silence...

The only thing he could hear now were the approaching steps of the mysterious entity who just saved his life. Judging by the sound, it was very large and heavy, so Teinu doubts that it's a Human like him. As it was getting nearer, the entity spoke in a calm tone.

"Magnificent."

It was an inhuman and monotonous voice, confirming that this being isn't a Human after all.

"You. Truly. Are. Magnificent."

The non-human entity was praising Teinu for some reason. Him, who was laying demi-dead in the ground and was almost killed by a Dragon Lord he was so close of defeating.

Eventually the being came into his diminished field of view, and Teinu could get a clear sight of his unknown helper. And when he did, it wasn't unknown anymore, Teinu knows exactly who this entity is.

A bipedal 4-armed Insect that stood 2 and a half meters tall. It looked like a cross between a praying mantis and an ant, it had a tail that was twice as long its body and it was covered in sharp spikes which resembled icicles. It was surrounded by a frightening aura of cold, its exoskeleton was a dull blue color and sparkled like diamond dust, and protusions which looked like icebergs bulged up from its back and shoulders.

On each of its 4 arms there was a high-level blade, one of the swords bearing a strong resemblance with the custom weapon of Ainz Ooal Gown member Warrior Takemikazuchi, one of the absolute strongest Swordsmen in the whole server.

Teinu wasn't part of the Guild Alliance that raided Nazarick back during the golden years of the game, but he does remember the Player accounts of the Floor Guardians protecting each floor. And the being in front of him is a perfect match of the description of the NPC protecting the ice floor.

Cocytus.

He couldn't believe what was happening right now, one of the NPCs of Nazarick just saved his life! Is this Momonga's doing? Teinu mustered all his remaining strength to ask a question.

"You...saved...m-me...?"

Cocytu responded.

"Yes. It. Was. My. Desire. To. Aid. You."

"Guste...Mi...the Dragon...?"

"He. Is. Dead."

Cocytus moved Warrior Takemikazuchi's sword in front of him for Teinu to see.

"Slain. By. My. Creator's. Blade."

So it's over, the Dragon Lord is finally gone. That means the people living here are finally free! A small smile took shape on Teinu's weakened face, but before he could even say thanks to Cocytus his mind drifted away into unconsciousness. He wasn't dead, but his life is still in danger, his Soul was literally split in half after all. But luckily for Teinu, Cocytus desires to honor this brave Human who dared to oppose a mighty creature whose power eclipsed his own strength.

He reached out into his Item Box and took out a scroll holding the 6th Tier Spell [Heal]. It wasn't enough to fully restore the HP of a Level 100 Warrior, obviously, but its just enough to stabilize his life force. Since the Soul is still connected to the body, anything affecting one of either things will affect the other, that is why damaging the Soul caused so much damage to Teinu's body, but that also means that restoring the body can help restore the Soul.

Now that Teinu's HP is no longer in the red, his split Soul will slowly heal over time. In a day or so his life shouldn't be in danger anymore. But the Human was still unconscious, that much is obvious since his body needs rest more than anything else.

Any other Floor Guardian would have left Teinu to die, his life is inconsequential to Nazarick after all, but not Cocytus. Is very likely Sebas would do the same thing he did.

Then in that moment, the desert begun to violently shake.

One of the Insect vassals accompanying Cocytus spoke between the quakes.

"My lord, the Dragon corpse has already been safely transported to Nazarick, but what do we do with the Human?"

"There. Is. A. Human. Settlement. In. This. Desert."

Cocytus was ordered to keep an eye on Teinu after all, so he knows about the other Humans he fought to protect.

"Leave. Him. Close. Enough. To. Be. Noticed. By. Them. But. Do. Not. Engage. In. Any. Conflict."

"Understood."

Another Insect vassal took the unconscious Teinu and flew at high speeds towards the desert Human tribe. Cocytus hopes that the family Teinu met will recognize him and will speak on his favor to give him sanctuary. Such courageous Warrior should not be allowed to die just like that.

Then, a [Gate] was opened near Cocytus. His business here is done for so he can go where he needs to be right now, by his master's side.

After stepping into the magical portal Cocytus saw a sight that is worthy to behold. Besides his master and his 3 adult children, all the Floor Guardians and other high-level beings of Nazarick, even the entities of the Eight Floor were stationed here. And if that wasn't enough, the Demi-Gods of this world, the children of the Floor Guardians like him, were all summoned here as well. He could see his 2 sons alongside the other Demi-Gods too!

Cocytus feels proud of them, now is their chance to directly serve the Supreme Being in glorious combat and show their value, there is no greater honor. He even feels thankful to the Dragon Lord that formed the Anti-Player Alliance for creating this opportunity for his children.

Eventually, the worldwide earthquake stopped. They could see far into the distance the "wood" being they were expecting erupt from below the earth, and after taking flight the draconic being unleashed a world-shattering roar for everyone to hear. But nobody present was scared, each of them knew what they had to do.

His master levitated high into the air and used a huge amount of preset fireworks to call the gigant creature's attention towards them, and it worked like a charm.

The massive being took notice of the flashy spectacle and flew towards them, loudly landing right in front of the Supreme Being.

The size disparity was ridiculous, Lord Ainz seemed like a tiny little flea in comparison with the "Dragon" standing right in front of him.

Both locked eyes for some seconds, the "Dragon" was silent, so Ainz spoke first.

**I hope I didn't made the "inspiration" for Teinu's build and Skills too obvious. Haha**

**This Player is basically the main character that a typical and generic Parallel World(Isekai) story would have, but since Maruyama enjoys subverting cliché and expectations, I wanted to try that out myself. Teinu isn't the strongest Player just because of plot reasons, neither in YGGDRASIL nor in the New World, and won't grow a bazillion times stronger during the course of the story either.**

**None of the 5 new Players is special, there was always someone much bigger than them. Even in the case of Anchelo since, while Imogen is never coming to the New World, Rubedo is still full leagues ahead of that broken Cleric, [Channel Divinity] or not.**

**Also, have you noticed the little trends I started since Chapter 11? My personal favorite is how each Dragon Lord reflects the previous/next one to a degree.**

**Cure Elim and Sulte'rioj are both Vampires, yet one is a dumb coward that uses lesser Undead to shield himself and only knows how to copy other Dragon Lords, and is a total jerk too. While the other is innovative and tenacious who isn't above studying and learning from other Races if that means strengthening himself, he was respectful to others as well.**

**Also both were weaker than they were supposed to be. Isn't it a bit odd how Meitro and Asmodel had relatively flawless victories, but Anchelo and Teinu had such a hard time? That's because vampirism and Wild Magic don't mix at all, the fact that Cure Elim and Sulte'rioj had to focus their efforts on Tier Magic diluted their power considerably, unlike Dirvelek and Guste Mik who could fully focus on their natural Wild Magic abilities.**

**And to reflect each other, Dirvelek and Guste Mik both fell deep into despair, but for totally different reasons. Another contrast is that Guste Mik was always weaker than his peers no matter how much effort he put, unlike Dirvelek who was born and lived stronger than most. The amount of effort would never close the distance between them, Guste Mik could've trained for an eternity yet would still be Dirvelek's inferior.**

**Guste Mik was Climb and Dirvelek was Gazef. They just can't compare.**

**This also means that the remaining 2 Dragon Lords will also reflect each other to a degree. I wonder if you will figure out how so after Arc I is completed.**

**Normally this is the part where I show Guste Mik's Level Sheet, but they were a few noteworthy enemies besides him, so they deserve a Level Sheet too I think.**

**Moreigh Bazzer**

**Epithet**

**[Scourge of the Desert]**

**Racial Levels - 20**

**10 - Asabi**

**10 - Asabi Lord**

**Job Levels - 23**

**10 - Martial Lord**

**05 - Single Blow**

**08 - Ki Master: Physical**

**Total Level - 43**

**This was the strongest Demi-Human in the desert region this Chapter took place in. You may be wondering why he has the [Martial Lord] Job Class without the basic [Monk] Job Class before it, right? Well that's because the [Asabi] Racial Class is already a substitute of the basic Monk Class.**

**Since the bodies of these Lizardman variants are filled to the teeth with pointy scales and other natural weapons, their Racial Levels already count as a substitute for any Job Class that is related with unarmed combat.**

**Kyrkk'ai=Yush'ane**

**Epithet**

**[Desert Dragon Lord] (formerly)**

**Racial Levels - 35**

**10 - Dragonling**

**10 - Young**

**05 - Adult**

**07 - Old**

**01 - Elder**

**02 - Ancient**

**Job Levels - 32**

**09 - Fighter**

**07 - Battle Master**

**10 - Tempest Fighter**

**06 - Champion**

**Total Level - 67**

**What's this? An incredibly odd number of Racial Levels, right? Well that's because of a curious detail that Maruyama revealed in the Volume 11 Author's Thoughts, that modern Dragons are sacrificing Racial Classes for Job Classes, as in they gain less Racial Levels in exchange for more Job Levels.**

**Assuming they're interested in building Job Classes in the first place, since the White Dragon Lord had no interest in developing skills nor training himself in a specific field, hence he didn't achieved any Job Levels which allowed his Racial Levels to develop unhindered.**

**That's one of the reasons why modern Dragons pale in comparison with their ancestors, since less Racial Levels mean lower stats, which in turn mean weaker bodies, weaker magic, etc.**

**Whatever that weird mechanic is, it must've been a side effect of the introduction of Tier Magic into the New World by the Greed Kings, since the Dragons of the old world don't seem to follow that rule as you've already seen with the True Dragon Lords of the Anti-Player Alliance.**

**Also, another perk the surviving Dragons of the old world have is that they can get modified/stronger versions of YGGDRASIL's Job Classes, those have (Dragon) next to it, unlike modern Dragons like Kyrkk'ai that get the very same Job Classes any other New World native gets. His [Champion] Job Class for instance is just as "strong" as Gazef's and Go Gin's Job Class, but thanks to his status as an Heteromorph he did gain greater stats than Gazef the Human and Go Gin the Demi-Human, though.**

**Now the big guy!**

**Guste Mik=Reihk Nacol**

**Epithet**

**[Thousand Blade Dragon Lord]**

**Racial Levels - 50**

**10 - Dragonling**

**10 - Young**

**10 - Adult**

**10 - Old**

**05 - Elder**

**05 - Ancient**

**Job Levels - 49**

**10 - Iron Dragon**

**10 - Steel Scales**

**08 - Dragon Overlord**

**07 - World Striker**

**09 - Sword Saint (Dragon)**

**05 - Sniper (Dragon)**

**Total Level - 99**

**So untalented was this Dragon that he couldn't even unlock [Primitive Caster]. While the Dragons of the old world could use Wild Magic innately, [Primitive Caster] augmented the magic they won through their Racial Classes alone and allowed them to properly use their magic like real Magic Casters. Said Job Class allowed them to use Spells too, both the creation and polishing of Wild Magic Spells is done thanks to [Primitive Caster] and its advancement [World Connector].**

**Guste Mik's lack of talent forced him to polish his own body and natural weapons instead, something as simple as a slash attack is the best trump card he could make with innate Wild Magic alone. His Job Classes gave him lots of boosts to his strength and combat ability though, so that was a trade off.**

**Also, you remember what I noted back in Chapter 11? How Cure Elim and Guste Mik have something called [Dragon Overlord] even though Cure Elim wasn't a skeletal being nor had any of the Racial Skills Ainz uses, and Guste Mik isn't even a Necromancer.**

**That's because [Dragon Ovelord] isn't a Job Class version of the [Overlord] Racial Class from YGGDRASIL, [Dragon Overlord] is unlocked by a Dragon that achieves complete authority over a specific physical resource to use in combat. Cure Elim mastered the use of Zombies in battle, and Guste Mik mastered the use of his natural scaled projectiles.**

**Their Zombies and scale weapons got enhanced by [Dragon Overlord] to the point the Dragon Lords could use them as a second nature, as easy as breathing, that's why [Dragon Overlord] complemented their builds so well.**

**One last little trivia about this Dragon. Unlike the Mountainous Dragon Lord and the Dragon Lord after him, this Dragon isn't an original one I made. Not in name, at least. In the Evileye Side-Story he was named just once, it was translated as Swordmaster Dragon Lord, but it turns out that the kanji of his title could also be translated as Thousand Blade Dragon Lord, which is the title I decided to use.**

**Just one more fight remains featuring a new Player after this, since the final Dragon Lord will be taken care of by Ainz and his Nazarick.**

**Next Chapter, the Mountainous Dragon Lord.**


	15. Chapter 15: Mountainous Dragon Lord

**Hopes, dreams, and desires. Where do they come from? Where do they go? Why do they even exist?**

**Mortals dabble in such meaningless things. A rightful ruler of this world, has no need to mind the lives of the lesser beings...**

Chapter 15: Mountainous Dragon Lord

The flashy light that temporary surrounded Ragnar just a moment ago disappeared just like that. Back in that moment he instinctively attempted to grab his nearest companions and hold them tight, but no such luck, whatever happened was too fast, faster than even his senses.

He was no longer in that large library that he and his companions visited, instead the landscape belonged to rocky mountain tops so high that he was literally above the clouds, mountains that for some reason sported an odd reddish color. The starry full moon sky above him was a true sight to behold, the astral bodies seemed so close that Ragnar felt he could touch them if he reaches out to them.

Such mesmerizing view would've absorbed the Barbarian for a good while if not for the small presence he felt nearby and, after raising his guard up, called out to it.

"Who's there?"

Ragnar turned his view towards the place his senses were warning him about.

Barbarian Job Classes gave you several useful surviving Skills as you Level Up, some of those Skills are [Lore (Nature)], that gives you innate understanding of how to operate in and make the most out of natural environments (a Skill they share with Druids) and [Lore (World)], that gives you innate understanding of any place you visit and about the inhabitants who live there (a Skill they share with Sages). Up until now Ragnar had both of those Skills intentionally turned off in order to enjoy the sense of wonder while exploring this world with his friends, but the sudden situation he's been just thrown into subconsciously made him reactivate those Skills again.

For a few seconds nothing happened, but eventually a voice did respond to him.

"So you can see me? You really are something else, mister!"

A juvenile voice came out of apparently nowhere, but just a second later a creature that resembled a cross of Human and bird stood a few feet away from Ragnar, it was bipedal and had the head of a dove, his back sported a pair of pure white feather wings, and was dressed in normal-looking clothes. It resembled an Aarakocra, the most basic Birdman Race in YGGDRASIL, so Ragnar will assume he is that.

On his hands there was a cloak of some sort, must likely a mantle of invisibility or some similar Magic Item. It must be low-level if his Barbarian Skills could bypass the invisibility and detect the Birdman's presence. Truth is, Ragnar didn't really "saw" whoever this person is, since seeing through invisibility is something Mages and Rogues do, but he won't actually reveal something like that. He has no reason to.

Instead he will question this person who attempted to sneak on him.

"Who are you? What were you planning to do hiding yourself like that?"

"Oh, nothing, really. I was just curious, I don't mean any harm."

"But how did you knew I was going to be here? Who told you?"

This young Birdman was obviously here long before Ragnar arrived, and was hiding with a Magic Item no less, so he obviously knew that Ragnar would be teleported here. He was determined to receive answers, and while he has no intention of taking what he wants by force, he won't hesitate to use intimidation Skills to squeeze the answers out of the Birdman.

The current situation is far too strange, he has no idea who he can trust right now, so he asked his question in a firm and powerful tone.

"W-well, I really had no idea you would be here, sir. I didn't knew what would happen in this place, that's why I was waiting right here while hiding with a Magic Item, I was just curious, I swear!"

"Uh? What do you mean? Just curious?"

"The thing is, days ago while I was flying around this place, I caught sight of something strange."

"...okay...what did you saw?"

"That specific day I was wearing magical eyes...these here."

The young Birdman took out a pair of google-like objects from a pocket for Ragnar to see. Must likely Magic Items just like the cloak he used to hide.

"These magical eyes let me see objects that I wouldn't normally see otherwise. Spirits, mana currents, coalescing clouds of planar energy, those phenomenon that we can't see with the naked eye are available to our sight with these!"

The Aarakocra's voice echoed with the excitement of a child showing off his favorite toy, but none of those things really matter to Ragnar, he simply wants to know what's going on.

"So you can see fancy mystical stuff with those, that's great. But what about that weird thing you say you saw?"

"Oh yes, that day I saw something I never saw before. In a small isolated spot of these mountains, right here where we're standing, I saw a group of weird and freakish creatures drawing a complex-looking circle on the ground you're standing right now. I took my magical eyes for a second and couldn't see them no more, so I thought they could be deformed spirits or something. I kept looking at them from a distance, making sure they couldn't spot me."

"Freakish beings?"

"Yes! One of them looked like a walking humanoid skeleton of sorts, but had 2 heads and 6 arms, and was dressed in a mage robe, or at least I think it was a mage robe."

_'Undead, must likely a Lich or a related being using cloaking magic.'_

"Alright, go on."

"Eventually, the creatures finished whatever they were doing and vanished, just like that. They never returned so I flew near this place to look at what they did. I know I shouldn't have, but my curiosity got the best of me."

They say curiosity killed the cat, but Ragnar isn't sure if that saying exists here. What's more, would a Birdman who lives so high up in a large mountain top even know what cats are? No matter, he should just keep listening to what the Birdman is saying.

"I found something I've never seen before. Etched on the ground there was a set of patterns in circular formation. With the magical eyes I could see the flow of mana circulating through it, a strange magic I never saw before. I never told anyone about this, but during the following days I kept subtly asking the Priests of my community if they knew about a magic of that sort, but nobody knew nothing, not even my dad who is the High Priest."

"So you just kept coming here every day after that? To see if anything would happen?"

"Yes!"

"...you had nothing better to do?"

"Like what? Stay locked up in the temple doing nothing but study old dusty books and meditate? My parents are never around, and the servants are too busy attending them anyways, so I'm just alone with the sacred Griffon all day. I would rather sneak out and explore the world."

The young Aarakocra folded his arms in frustration, it seems that he lives a rough life judging from his words. However, nothing of that has anything to do with Ragnar and his current situation, he wants to return to his friends' side as soon as possible.

"Well, thanks for welcoming me, but I'm afraid I have to go now. I need to look for my lost companions before anything else happens."

"Uh? So you didn't wanted to be transported here? You were taken by force?"

"Tricked, to be precise. I used to be in a Demi-Human city with my companions a moment ago when someone suddenly teleported me here."

Ragnar was recalling the last moments that transpired before whatever happened a minute ago. The Human they decided to trust pushed them into a trap, how could Daifuku do that? What did they do to deserve that?

_'Could he have known our true identities? If he did, how?'_

He should stop thinking about that for now, returning to his friends' side must be his sole priority.

"Farewell."

And just like that, Ragnar spread his membrane wings and took to the skies. Well, "skies" sounds redundant since he's already atop a mountain peak that's higher than the clouds, so it's downwards toward lower levels that he should be flying to.

And for a whole minute he did just that, fly around at high speeds looking for a way out of the red mountainous terrain or for any scenery that resembles anything he saw during the travels with his friends, but no such luck. Ragnar is an ignorant of this world after all, even with [Lore (Nature)] and [Lore (World)] he couldn't find any way back to the Troll country.

He eventually stopped flying around, and for another full minute he remained still in one spot. His many years of experience with the exploration Guild World Searchers is useless in this specific scenario when he needs it the most, and such thing was slowly making his frustration swell, building up an inner rage that he was actively trying to hold back. Getting angry won't do him any good right now.

And after yet another minute passed, the young Aarakocra from before was slowly approaching Ragnar, it seems he was following him all this time, and after a few seconds the young Birdman addressed the frustrated Insect.

"Finding your way in and out of the Rust Mountains is quite a challenge, isn't it?"

Ah, so this place is called the Rust Mountains. No wonder with that unnatural reddish color decorating them.

"So, um, if you can't find your way back on your own, perhaps I can help you go back to wherever is that you want to return to."

After hearing those words, Ragnar felt a tiny glimmer of hope flare up in his heart, but said hope was immediately suppressed by his pessimistic pragmatism. He was already fooled once, Daifuku gave him no reason nor warning for his backstabbing, he just kidnapped him to this place and who knows what he did to his friends too, Ragnar has no intention of being fooled again.

He directed his gaze towards the Birdman, and it seems the young Aarakocra felt intimidated by his static insect glare, and spoke again in a nervous tone.

"Well, if you want to of course! If you don't want my help then you are welcome to reject it. Sir."

He should reject it, every single fiber in his being is warning him against another potential betrayal. The very fact that the new Players know nothing about this world and the people living in it is what got them in this mess in the first place.

However, it's also because Ragnar knows nothing about this world that he's well aware of the fact that he will never be able to find his friends by himself, let alone find a way out of this Rust Mountains or whatever. So despite his instincts warning him otherwise, he decided to put his trust in another individual he just met one more time. The safety of his friends could be in jeopardy for all he knows.

"No, I, I would be grateful if you can aid me to find my way back. But I'm curious how you plan to do that."

The nervousness on the feathered youngster was instantly replaced with confidence.

"Trust me, we know what we do. We are the People of the Sky, children of the Heavens! There's nothing we can't see from this peak of the world!"

And just like that the young Aarakocra turned around, signaled Ragnar to follow, and begun to fly as fast as his wings could. Ragnar hesitated for a second but eventually gave in and followed his trail.

"By the way, you never told me you name, sir. Mine is Tai'me, is nice to meet you."

"I...I am Ragnar, likewise."

"Ragnar? I've never heard a name like that. You really aren't from around after all, sir Ragnar."

As these 2 kept exchanging dialogue midflight, Tai'me took Ragnar back to the area they were minutes before, near the spot where he arrived to this Rust Mountains. All he could see far in the distance were even more red mountain peaks, so an impatient Ragnar made Tai'me a question.

"Is it still far? I appreciate your offer but I'm in a hurry, I really need to return as soon as possible."

"Oh, we're here already!"

Tai'me took out and activated some sort of Magic Item and held it in front of him, but Ragnar's impatience was starting to build up.

"Uh? What do you mean here alr-whoa!"

In just an instant, the world around both Ragnar and Tei'me changed completely. They were no longer flying around red mountain peaks, but rather in a place that could only be described as a "magical metropolis", a large and magnificent city that could only be created by magic and nothing else. Ragnar's envirionment-recognition Skills kicked in and begun to flood his brain with information about this place.

It seems this city is protected with a very, very powerful and perpetual illusion Spell that serves to camouflage it with the surrounding environment, and the Item Tai'me just used is some sort of magical key that allows the user to enter and exit this place.

The streets were perfectly paved with some light-colored material he never saw before, magical street lights which were currently lit because of the nighttime were also installed around them, the buildings seemed smooth at a glance yet they were clearly firm structures that could last a millennia, and virtually all the inhabitants of this place were wearing and using magical Items similar to the ones Tai'me showed Ragnar before. So advanced is this avian people that Magic Devices are everyday household objects.

But something that also caught Ragnar's attention was the racial variety this place enjoyed. Besides Aarakocra, many Eladrins (winged Elf-like Humanoids) also make their homes in this grand city hidden in this red mountain peaks, as well as members of another avian Race, this time a Demi-Human one, called Strix. Back in YGGDRASIL the Strix were mostly evil-aligned, and according to lore there always existed a prejudice against them, and thus the Strix NPC were very xenophobic in return. And yet, here they are, living side-by-side with Aarakocra, Eladrins, and several other winged Races that Ragnar never saw in YGGDRASIL before.

Nobody around even notices the insectoid Ragnar, and the ones that do simply wave at his direction in a friendly manner. Meaning, it's very normal for these people to see different Races everyday, is ingrained into their culture to say hi to everyone regardless of what they are.

Truly, this sense of wonder is similar to the one he and his friends felt back when they were scouting this world with the watchtower system of their crystal base, and again when they visited the Demi-Human cities. The wonder of a world free of racism, where people are tolerant and accepting of each other, so different from their native world. Ragnar now feels a great degree of respect towards Momonga, to be able to build a world like this is no small feat.

"So amazing..."

"Uh? Did you just said something sir Ragnar?"

"Ah, just contemplating what an incredible place this is. The God-King of this world must truly be an exceptional being."

That comment just now made Tai'me snort a bit. The young Aarakocra left out a small chuckle and retorted to the confused Ragnar.

"God-King? You mean the one called Ainz Ooal Gown? Yeah, he's not our ruler."

"Uh...? What!?"

"Surprised? The inhabitants of the vast lands that Ainz Ooal Gown rules over do indeed call him God-King, true, but only the ones that live there claim that he rules 'the entire world' and things like that."

Ragnar and his friends did heard that there's some parts of the world that still aren't under Momonga's control, so it seems this specific community is one of those parts.

"Truth is, Ainz Ooal Gown isn't even close to ruling this entire world. He doesn't even controls this entire supercontinent we're in."

"...really?"

_'Not even a continent is under Momonga's control?'_

"Yeah, I know it must sound shocking to you, since it seems you come from a place where this Ainz Ooal Gown is renown. But to us, he is just the monarch of an enormously vast Kingdom, one that expanded incredibly fast thanks to his resources, armies, and seemingly superior knowledge, but he hasn't even reached the border of this continent yet. And I think it's safe to say that he's totally unaware of the other supercontinent at the other side of this world."

"So, that means he hasn't even reached this place then?"

"Oh, we have already made contact with the Sorcerer Kingdom in the past. I wasn't born back then, but my people received one of his envoys decades ago, and luckily for us that event ended in a peaceful way. We may be as advanced as we are, but the militar power of Ainz Ooal Gown is nothing to scoff at."

"Peacefully? So nobody ended up dead or hurt after your nation and the Sorcerer Kingdom met?"

"Yeah!"

"That's quite impressive. According to...um, the things I learned while growing up, the expansion campaign that the firstborn of Ainz Ooal Gown carried out was nothing short of a monstrous massacre."

"They teach that in the Sorcerer Kingdom's educational institutes? How bold. But yes, when the Crown Prince Shura Ulain Gown presented himself to my people as a representative of his father's nation, we already knew him by his reputation. It was during the climax of the Unholy War, after he dretched himself in the blood of all the heroes that dared to oppose him and his Undead parent, that he walked uninvited into this city, somehow bypassing the magical shield protecting us."

Yes, Ragnar and his friends are well aware of the horrible murders that Shura was responsible for during the expansion campaign. More horrible even is the fact that the religious tomes of the Church of Nazarick (the ones they read at least) glorified those hideous acts of violence and labelled them as "heroic". Because of that, Shura is famous in the near continent-spanning Sorcerer Kingdom as a folk hero, on top of a powerful Prince and the firstborn of God, of course.

"That child of death dared to demand an audience with the High Priest, the ruler of our theocratic government, just so we would offer vassalage to the Sorcerer Kingdom. And while he didn't threatened to destroy us or anything like that, everyone here knew that he wouldn't hesitate to do such thing if provoked enough."

"Wait, if your people accepted the fact that they had no chance of resisting, how come you aren't a vassal state then? Did you successfully pushed back the Crown Prince and his forces?"

It's very possible that any defeat the Crown Prince suffered during the expansion campaign would be omitted from history. Many countries throughout Earth's own history enjoyed to project an image of omnipotence, so they always tended to silence any shameful event that tainted their glory, and at the same time they also enjoyed to exaggerate any simple victory or small win.

"Nah, my people didn't defeat Shura Ulain Gown or anything like that. It was quite a situation in fact, the Crown Prince was ordered to stand down and return to his home land by his father, Ainz Ooal Gown. The God King himself demanded his son to leave us alone and never return here. That marked the end of the expansion campaign and by extension the Unholy War, and the Sorcerer Kingdom has kept its distance ever since."

What a tale, this part wasn't mentioned in the religious tomes they read, those books simply said that the "benevolent" Crown Prince decided to end the campaign because he had already subdued anything worth conquering in the world, and thus returned to the capital of the Sorcerer Kingdom in full glory.

Ragnar can't begin to imagine what sort of thing would make Momonga command his entire forces to retreat that way, a World-class Enemy perhaps? Or, maybe it has something to do with what Tai'me mentioned before.

"A while ago you said that there's another supercontinent at the other side of this world. Did your people had a powerful army or something backing them up over there?"

"We do have another community and some outposts there, but nothing like an organized army or the sort. I don't wanna sound arrogant or anything but my people are peaceful by nature, there's seldom any violent conflict in our recorded history."

It was easy for Ragnar to accept such statement, he's seeing that peace with his very own eyes after all.

At that moment Tai'me landed in front of a very large and important-looking building and signalled Ragnar to follow him. The doors were large but easy to move, the inside was huge and spacious, similar to a church, and many people were already inside doing one thing or another. Ragnar's Skills tell him that this temple is just partially a church, it also serves as a center for city-wide meetings and other community-related events, so it's always a busy hub of activity.

Tai'me and Ragnar kept walking deeper into the temple while continuing their conversation.

"But even then, our people living in the other supercontinent don't really need a martial army or anything of the sort in the first place. Unlike the relatively young God-King Ainz Ooal Gown, the older self-proclaimed Gods of Kolorioh act like proper Deities, distant observers rather than direct meddlers, yet still manage to sustain continent-wide peace. This continent's would-be conqueror could learn a thing or more about them."

Ragnar stopped walking.

"...uh...sorry...what...?"

"Oooh, right. Nobody in this continent knows this besides us. Sorry, that slipped. Heh."

Tai'me seemed a bit embarrassed, it looks like talking about such things with a stranger is forbidden or something, but the bomb has already been dropped, there's no taking it back now. Ragnar now knows that there's more beings besides Momonga in this world that are worshipped as Gods, are much older than him, and apparently those are real flesh-and-blood Gods rather than painted or statue Gods if Tai'me's selection of words is to be trusted.

There's something screaming inside Ragnar's head right now, something that he's a bit afraid of accepting but part of him knows it's too obvious to not be true. He feels that he will regret asking this, or that Tai'me may be punished if he asks it, but he can't hold himself, he HAS to know.

"Then, forgive me for asking, but these Gods in that continent at the other side of the world, who are they? What are they? If you don't mind, could you tell me a bit more?"

"Well, those who do speak about it to outsiders aren't really executed or imprisoned or anything, they just get hand slapped at worse, so maybe it's okay if I tell you a bit. You seem like an honest person, so I feel I can trust you."

_'You trust me? Even though we just met? That's very dangerous and naive you know, I know such thing firsthand now. But I guess our situations aren't really the same, I'm the one who knows nothing about this world after all, so I guess I'm the foolish one for placing my trust in someone else...'_

Even though Ragnar is aware of how dumb it is to trust people you don't know, there's nothing he can do about it right now considering his circumstances.

In any case, right now Ragnar needs to learn as much as he can about this world, so he will take advantage of Tai'me's supposed trust on him to learn everything he can, starting with these so-called Gods at the other side of this world since the feeling on his gut won't disappear until he knows.

"Alright, where to start."

Tai'me begun to rub his lower beak with one of his hands, he was deep in thought trying to figure out how to explain the nature of this world to someone who knows nothing about it. Eventually, he decided to start with a brief explanation of the New World's geographical picture.

"Let's start at the beginning then. Our world, this entire mass of land and oceans that we live in, isn't a flat disc like many civilizations think, but rather a round sphere."

"A sphere? So our world is round."

"Yeah! It may sound shocking to you, but it's true."

It seems this world is round just like Earth is, that much isn't surprising to Ragnar since that's how planets work. Of course, in a magical world anything is possible, but it's comforting to know that neither he nor his friends have to worry about falling from the edge of a flat planet while they're traveling.

"Anyway, even though there are several small continents in our world, there are 2 especially big continents that encompasses the majority of land that isn't submerged in oceans. The supercontinent we're in, the one that Ainz Ooal Gown claims to 'rule over' and all that, was christened Maerû by my people centuries ago. The other one, at the other side of this world, was christened Kolorioh. You with me so far?"

"Yes, please go on."

Ragnar wants Tai'me to cut the idle chatter and go to the part of the "Gods" already, but he may cause unnecessary suspicion so he's reeling himself for now.

"This supercontinent of Maerû was the center of a centuries-old upheaval that transpired 700 years ago created by a being now remembered as the last Dragon Emperor. It is speculated that this Emperor was thirsty for a challenge, others say that he was simply bored of the world and wanted to spice things up a bit, but whatever his reason was, the Dragon Emperor used his unique and overwhelmingly powerful magic to summon creatures from other worlds into our own, and a new wave has been arriving every century without fail, and always punctual. During the ages, this alien beings have been hailed as heroes, worshipped as Gods, and feared as Devils. They, however, call themselves Players."

Ragnar's gut feeling was right, these other beings that are currently being worshipped as Gods at the other side of the world are Players just like him, his friends, and Momonga. But he had no idea that Players arriving to this world dated as far back as 700 years ago.

"These Players always make a huge fuss wherever they arrive, and many of them are true immortals that never die unless a being of equal or superior power kills them. A few cautious ones among them have managed to remain alive during all this time, Ainz Ooal Gown is just the most recent one, but is a mere infant compared to the ones that rule the supercontinent of Kolorioh."

"They're that old compared to the God-King here?"

"Our records say they arrived to Kolorioh 500 years ago, while Ainz Ooal Gown arrived here to Maerû merely 100 years ago."

If Tai'me is telling the truth, a wave of Players arrived to the other side of this world 400 years before Momonga did, and have been there doing who knows what all this time. Ragnar's mind was being overwhelmed by questions he wanted to ask, but he has no intention of giving away the fact that he too is a Player, these people know that they arrive each century it seems, Tai'me might connect the dots if he gives him enough clues, so he will limit himself to simple questions.

"So these other Gods, how many are there?"

As Tai'me was about to answer that question, one of the workers of the temple eventually recognized the young Aarakocra and called out to him.

"Young master! What are you doing outside of your room? Meditation training shouldn't be taken lightly, especially by you. Do we have to keep reminding you that one day you will be the High Priest?"

The young Birdman simply clapped his hands in the form of apalogy and lowered his head a bit.

"Yes, yes. I'm sorry Bah'ku, but right now I need a favor, can you please contact my father for me? Is urgent."

The Eladrin servant heavily sighed before agreeing to carry out Tai'me's request. Since the High Priest is the highest authority in this sky society it seems the progeny of said Priest is treated like royalty or something, which may mean that the High Priest title is inherited here.

It seems they have a little time before Tai'me's father arrives, so the Birdman returned his gaze to Ragnar so they can continue their conversation.

"Now what was I saying...? Oh yeah, how many are they? The Gods themselves are just 2, a God of Light and a God of Darkness, but they're more than enough to take care of anything that goes on in their continent, especially with the combined forces of their holy servants and invincible fortresses they reside in."

"Holy...servants...?"

Ragnar has a small gut feeling about those too.

"Beings that rival the Gods in power, but aren't Players themselves, and are extremely loyal to the Gods too. Their respective Gods at least. The Light God has his servants, and the Dark God has his own."

"And they just get along? All of them?"

"They do now. But oh man, reading the history books sometimes makes me wish I was born centuries ago in the continent of Kolorioh instead, the massive cataclysm that followed the arrival of those Gods must've been a real spectacle to behold! Another contrast to the boring and unchallenged raise to power of Ainz Ooal Gown here in Maerû."

"I think I do remember reading somewhere that the God-King has remained unrivaled all this time, ever since the very moment he arrived to this world."

"Yeah, Ainz Ooal Gown was the sole Player who arrived 100 years ago, so his status as a Deity among the mortals who live around him is unquestioned. That wasn't the case with Zauriel the Redeemer and Temuk the Punisher at first. When those 2 arrived, true hell broke loose in their entire half of this world, for nearly a full decade, Kolorioh was a real mess!"

_'Zauriel and Temuk, those are their names, uh? They and their NPC where fighting each other for 10 or so years right after they arrived to this world according to Tai'me, and then they simply decided to settle their differences or something? Have I heard those names in YGGDRASIL before? Zauriel, Temuk...Zauriel...!...'_

It only took a couple of seconds for Ragnar's brain to recall those usernames, they were buried a bit deep into his memory, but he only had to dig up a little since those 2 Players enjoyed a moderate fame of their own in the game.

Zauriel, he was (in)famous in YGGDRASIL because of his extreme goody-two-shoes personality that he really enjoyed to force-feed everyone around him. There even was a truly ridiculous anecdote circulating about Zauriel in the server; one day, when he and some members of his Guild were in the middle of a great Boss battle, Zauriel saw a random "innocent" NPC mob nearby the battlefield that was going to get caught up in the crossfire, so the gigantic idiot decided to sacrifice himself (lose 5 Levels) just so a digital person made of mere 0s and 1s could escape harm. And by doing such moronic thing, the rest of his comrades at the time were left without a member mid-fight, which almost caused a total Party-wipe against the Boss they were fighting against.

"Chaotic stupid" role-players like Zauriel were quite common in YGGDRASIL, but what made that specific Player more noteworthy than most was the Guild he belonged to, none other than Seraphim, the absolute strongest of the Three Great Heteromorph Guilds. Prestigious Guilds always had a habit of being incredibly strict and rigid when it came to their members since they enjoyed the attention and trust everyone else in the server gave them, so they worked very hard to keep higher standards than the other Guilds, meaning that imbeciles like Zauriel were seldom tolerated in such Guilds.

However, Seraphim belonged to a category of their own, comparing it to other Guilds (even the prestigious ones) would be a disservice to them. The sole reason they weren't in the Top 3 was simply because they lacked the perfectly flawless organization of Trinity, the achievements and merits of World Searchers, or the massive amount of members in 2chan Alliance. Still, Seraphim was the solid No. 4 Guild in the entirety of YGGDRASIL despite having a few stupid Players like Zauriel among them.

In any case, the most shocking fact to Ragnar is that such thing means that neither Asmodel nor Anchelo were the first angelic Players to arrive to this world, not even the first members of Seraphim. For several centuries one of their comrades has been living on the New World as a God, and even more shocking is how he has been sharing that divine authority with Temuk, the Guild Master of the Undead-only Guild known as Phantasm and the last type of person someone might expect would peacefully coexist with Zauriel.

Temuk was the extreme opposite of Zauriel, a hardcore edgy villain role-player that enjoyed to waste MP and Items to bring destruction and chaos to the same "innocent" NPCs that Zauriel enjoyed to idiotically protect. That guy was quite fitting for a chaotic Guild like UnderKings, but alas, he was an Undead so they would've never allowed him to join their Demon-only Guild, so he settled for founding an Undead-only Guild in Svartalfheim.

Also, Temuk was quite arrogant and full of himself, yet another contrast with the humble and easy to deal with personality of Zauriel which was arguably his sole redeeming trait that made his Guild tolerate him.

Zauriel was very cheery, and both Asmodel as well as Anchelo described him as a friendly person you could instantly get along with, while Temuk was infamously broody and a jerk to everyone, even towards his own guildmates. Those 2 were like heaven and hell, quite literally in fact.

Tai'me also mentioned "invincible fortresses they reside in" meaning that they most likely arrived with their respective guildbases too, which means that besides their NPCs they also arrived with all their weaponry and Items, as well as the World-class Items they harbored too.

Ragnar can only imagine...those 2 suddenly arriving to this magical world at the very same time in the same land, complete with an arsenal of overpowered weapons at their disposal, numerous extremely loyal servants that rival a Player in power, and totally opposing personalities...what sort of miracle could possibly stop those 2 from killing each other for good!?

This is colossal information, and if the young Birdman is to be trusted then even Momonga himself is unaware of this. Ragnar would like to learn even more if he can, it's very likely that all this juicy info may come in handy later on since it's almost a given that he and his friends will cross paths with Momonga sooner or later, and none of them can be certain if Momonga is truly a good person or an evil tyrant hiding behind a benevolent facade, and if it turns out that the Chruch of Nazarick does label them as enemies then that will truly be their end, no ifs or buts.

If it comes to that, perhaps they could use this newfound information of older Players in the other side of this world as a good bargaining ground for their safety. Maybe.

But as Ragnar was about to ask another question, the Eladrin servant that Tai'me sent to call his father a bit earlier returned.

"Your father is expecting you young master, please come this way."

At that moment Bah'ku also directed a very suspicious glare towards Ragnar, this people may not be racist but that doesn't mean that they would allow any random Insect that came out of nowhere to be in the places only royalty are allowed to be.

"It's okay Bah'ku, he's with me. He's the reason I need my father's help actually, consider him a guest."

"...very well, if you say so. Right this way."

Of course, all this new information is totally useless to him and his friends if Ragnar can't even return to their side in the first place, he also decided to stop questioning any further in order to avoid looking suspicious, since simply knowing that 2 Players have been living in the other side of the world for centuries should be good enough to offer something of importance to Momonga and secure a peaceful life for themselves here, in this beautiful world free of pollution and abundant of nature.

Hope has once again returned to Ragnar's heart, he's fully focused on his mission of finding his friends now.

"You father, will he help me return to where I was before being taken here?"

"My father alone won't, be he and other Priests can carry out a large ritual that can combine the principles of Divination, Conjuration, and Abjuration to magically move anything anywhere, no matter the distance. We the Sky People have mastered information gathering and teleportation to a level the other civilizations still haven't reached yet, we have developed new Spells that you can't even imagine!"

"So they can even know where I was before arriving here? The exact location?"

"Yeah!"

"And...the location of individuals who were with me? Can they find them too?"

"That? Mmm, if you have personal objects that belong to them, we may be able to pinpoint their exact location in this continent with that."

"Oh, then you won't find them. I guess I must look for them myself when I return."

He will like to personally ask that Daifuku fellow a few questions too, and Ragnar won't hesitate to use force if he has to. His friends may be somewhere dangerous in this unknown world, they might be hurt or even dying for all he knows, he HAS to go back.

Bah'ku eventually took them deeper into the temple, into a large decorated room brandishing a luxurious table in the middle with several papers on top. Sitting on said table was an adult Aarakocra, obviously much older than Tai'me, dressed with expensive-looking clothes and decorated with a few jewels here and there, and wearing a pair of correcting glasses on his avian face. The Birdman himself had pure white feathers just like Tai'me, but his facial structure was slightly different. If Tai'me resembled a dove, then his father resembled a cockatoo. He was using a pen-like object to write some sort of alien letters Ragnar can't understand on the paper sheets. Bah'ku then excused himself and left, leaving only Ragnar, Tai'me, and the adult Birdman in the room.

Silence reigned in the room for several seconds before the adult Birdman decided to break said silence.

"For the first time ever since you first started your escapades from your studies, you decide to look for me instead of the other way around. Should I owe this miracle to your current arthropod guest?"

Tai'me's father had a deep and mature voice, and judging from his words every time Tai'me escapes his responsibilities his father has to look for him and presumably drag him back. It seems Humans aren't the only ones that go through rebellious phases while going through adolescence. Also, the adult Birdman didn't even bothered to raise his head to see his son or Ragnar, his attention was solely focused towards the documents on his hand.

Tai'me, for his part, seemed a little bit insecure about what to say next, clearly the attitude of someone who doesn't wants to be rebuked by a parent.

"Well...kinda. This is Ragnar, he arrived to this mountain peaks by mistake from some far away land and can't go back home. So, I was wondering if we could assemble the Council of Elders to use the Divination Ritual and help him find his way back home."

At those words, Tai'me's after abruptly stopped what he was doing, took off his glasses, and lifted his gaze to stare his son in the eyes, an "are you serious?" expression was painted all over his face.

"Let's see if I got this right. This insectoid got here 'by mistake'? Someone who belongs to a Race we have never seen before just accidentally flies by our community aimlessly? Without a reason or explanation? And you just brought him here? Where your people lives? And now you demand for this stranger to have an audience with the Elders!?"

The firm and condescending tone of the reprimand clearly shook Tai'me a bit, he was having a hard time finding the right words to answer.

Ragnar for his part decided to take the opportunity to step up and speak for himself, he shouldn't let all the blame fall solely on Tai'me, it wasn't his fault that Daifuku played a mean trick on him after all.

"Excuse me, may I speak?"

The adult Birdman directed his gaze towards Ragnar for the very first time, a suspicious look was clearly visible on his eyes.

"You may, but do tread carefully."

The tone of said reply was a perfectly balanced mix of respectful and threatening.

"Tai'me speaks the truth, I currently _am_ astray. If you give me the chance, I will gladly explain my situation to you."

"...very well, I allow it. Speak your case then."

"My name is Ragnar, days ago my comrades and I decided to leave the comfort of our home in order to travel unknown lands, explore the world. We eventually came across a Troll country that resides near 5 other Demi-Human nations."

"Ah yes, the 6 great superpowers of Maerû that predate even the God-King Ainz Ooal Gown. They aren't that far from here, but without teleportation magic it is quite a far journey, how did you end up here? So far away from there? Can't your comrades come looking for you?"

"That's the thing, I didn't came here willingly or consciously, I was taken by force. Kidnapped."

Now Tai'me's father had a real confused expression on his face.

"What do you mean, 'kidnapped'? Please, elaborate."

"We decided to visit a local library to learn more about the surrounding lands and gain information to facilitate our journey, then...then somebody surprised us with some sort of magical teleportation Spell, or something. Before I knew it, I was standing just outside this city, my comrades nowhere to be found."

"I see, that's quite a story. If you're telling the truth, that is."

"It IS the truth! I was standing right there, I saw him arrive here out of nowhere with my own eyes. He's not dangerous, father, he's just lost, and needs our help."

The High Priest was rubbing his lower beak, deep in thought. He was still understandably suspicious, so he asked another question, this time to his son.

"Does this has something to do with the weird questions you were asking me and the other Priests days ago? Some mysterious magic you never saw before?"

"...yes, I knew I should've said something before but-"

"Shut it, you and I will discuss this at a later date."

After abruptly interrupting his son, the High Priest moved his gaze towards Ragnar again, his previous wariness now replaced with a slight curiosity.

"This is quite curious."

The adult Birdman said before instantly teleporting from the chair he was sitting in to a couple of feet away from Ragnar. It seems Tai'me wasn't exaggerating, these people have truly mastered the magical art of teleportation to a very high degree, Ragnar can tell not only because of how easy the High Priest teleported in front of him, but because he did so without any verbal component to use said teleportation Spell.

Back in YGGDRASIL the Spells of spellcasters had no verbal components, the Players only shut them aloud if they were fighting alongside their comrades in order to inform them what Spell was being used, that way the spellcaster's comrades could react and adapt accordingly.

However, here in this magical world things are different. According to Asmodel, Anchelo, and Meitro, using Spells without shouting their names results in a higher-than-normal MP cost for said Spell, plus a slight sense of discomfort is experienced as well. Ragnar doesn't knows exactly what his 3 friends meant when they said "discomfort", but they did said that they would rather never cast another silent Spell again, it just felt too unnatural and cringy for them.

And yet this adult Aarakocra just casually used a teleportation Spell without enchanting its name, speaking not only of his ability to use 5th Tier Spells, but can do so silently without feeling any apparent form of unnatural cringe or discomfort. Is it perhaps because he's a native of this world, in contrast with his friends that are Players from YGGDRASIL?

_'Perhaps this people can truly help me return to my friends' side, after all.'_

"Those marks around your carapace, are those natural birth marks? Tattoos? I can sense some strange energy emanating from you, but it's not quite magic, I think."

So prodigious is this Birdman in the field of magic that he can even tell that Ragnar's body marks aren't normal.

"Oh, these? Well, eh, it's a long story. But you're right, they aren't quite magic, but they are something that helps me defend myself."

Those tattoo-like marks covering his body are the physical manifestation of 2 of Ragnar's most powerful Job Classes, [Wild Evocator] and a special Class that serves as advancement for it, [Runescarred]. Thanks to those Classes, melee fighters like Warriors, Fighters, Barbarians, and even Monks can access very powerful Spell-like abilities without having to invest Levels into proper Mage Job Classes, the Skills granted by [Wild Evocator] and [Runescarred] also enhance their physical abilities and don't require any MP to use, but MP can still be used to enhance said Skills even further.

"We didn't knew what type of world was outside our native lands and comfort zone, so my comrades and I made ourselves sure to be fully prepared for this journey."

Ragnar has no intention of revealing his identity as a Player, but he doesn't minds giving minor details and saying twisted truths if that means he can return to his friends' side. The best he can do in his current situation is to gain the trust of the High Priest.

"I see. If you're telling the truth, then it's quite some faraway land you and your comrades come from. I don't think we've ever seen anything like those marks in our recorded history, it's been a very long time since my people has studied such exotic arts like these."

The High Priest was now closely examining Ragnar's body. He personally didn't liked to be scouted like this, it made him nervous (it was a moment he was grateful for his expressionless insectoid physiognomy), but he has to keep playing their game in order to be in their good side, the sooner they can help him, the better.

"So if you truly want my aid, and by extension the aid of the other Elders, then you have to win our trust first. Do you understand that?"

"Yes, of course. I will do anything to prove you that I am no menace, and I will be eternally grateful if you can truly help me return to my comrades' side."

The High Priest remained silent for a few seconds, gave a quick glance to his son, then spoke again.

"Alright then. First, I want to make sure that there are no hidden weapons on your person. Would you allow me to appraise you?"

For a split second Ragnar felt a pic of panic, but immediately calmed down after remembering that all his equipment is safe on his Item Box, the sole "gear" he has on his person are his low data Artifact-class clothes which won't register as dangerous to any appraisal Spell. He does hope that his tattoos won't set off any alarms to the High Priest, however.

"Yes, of course. I have nothing to hide."

"Very well. This will only take a little while."

The High Priest said so while slowly extending his right talon and activating his magic. The Tier Magic circle that manifested on his talon was a bit different and more complex than the one used by the Troll Mage that appraised him and his friends days ago, must be a much higher version of said appraisal Spell, or maybe one of the unique Spells developed by the Sky People that Tai'me mentioned, since he never saw this specific Spell being used by anyone in YGGDRASIL either. Ragnar also thinks so because his body feels weird, too weird. Is almost like the appraisal Spell is phasing through his body, it definitely feels far more intrusive than the first time he was appraised in this world.

Then, strange letters begun to manifest in the air around him. He couldn't understand them, those letters definitely aren't Japanese, and then several lines begun to randomly appear alongside the letters as well, something weird is definitely going on. If Ragnar were to guess, he would argue that those letters and lines may be akin to "coordinates". But, coordinates for an appraisal Spell? That makes no sense, coordinates would instead make more sense for, for...

_'A teleportation Spell!?'_

In that moment Ragnar instinctively took out his weapons from his Item Box, but it was too late. A flash of light suddenly obscured his vision, he felt his body nearly ripping in half despite bracing himself, it seems this Spell is quite different from the one used by Daifuku, it was more raw and crude.

After the light disappeared and the physical pain stopped, Ragnar took a quick glance at his surroundings and realized that he was no longer in the temple, nor in any city for that matter. Ragnar was standing in a perfectly flat surface that extended as far as his enhanced senses could see, the heavy fog surrounding him couldn't inhibit his sight in any possible way so he could perfectly see the red mountain peaks at the distance, it seems he was taken to an even more recondite place than before, but it's also very likely that any city nearby is magically hidden from his eyes.

The sole noteworthy mark on this place was a huge "mountain" sitting nearby, a mountain that Ragnar would've recognized as familiar, but was far too agitated to notice at the moment.

"Fooled...again...! Tricked not only once, but twice! How! How could I be so stupid!"

Ragnar's rageful screams echoed in the distance, but it seems nobody was around to hear them. At least, that's what Ragnar assumed.

The Insect began to wrathfully stomp the ground with his mighty legs, over and over again the earth trembled with his fury, forming large cracks that grew bigger and bigger with each stomp. Blindly trusting strangers twice, and backstabbed both times, just how idiotic could Ragnar be!

Now he will never find his friends, he will be forever lost in this dangerous world full of strangers ready to take advantage of his ignorance. Just what...just what did Ragnar ever do to deserve this!? He was a simple and poor salaryman before being taken here without his consent, is this punishment for some sin he committed in a previous life? And what about his friends? Are they too suffering a similar fate?

"To think we were entranced by the superficial beauty of this world! How where we supposed to know that its inhabitants were just as rotten as the ones in our home world!"

It seems this world is just as ugly as Earth, being filled with magic doesn't makes it a world of fantasy after all.

His destructive rant would've continued for a while longer if not for the unnatural presence that Ragnar's localization Skills picked up nearby. The "mountain" near him begun to raise, it sprouted 4 corpulent legs from its sides and used to them slowly stand up, a short and thick tail also emerged from the mountain-like creature's rear, and from the creature's front is where a reptilian head slowly emerged as well, a head whose reptilian eyes connected with Ragnar's own.

Truth was, Ragnar's senses did detect this creature before, but he was far too lost on his own rage to notice it. Only when it begun to move is when Ragnar could no longer ignore it.

His heart was still flared up with rage, but his mind was now calm enough to pay attention to the creature in front of him. An incredibly massive turtle-like Dragon so big that his shell could pass as a mountain, it was unmistakable, Ragnar knows exactly what this being is, and it only took him a couple of seconds to join the dots.

"I see...so this is why I was tricked then? I'm here because of this...this...thing?"

There was no need for Ragnar to be so rude, but he was angry as hell so most people would let it pass. The Dragon himself wasn't upset by the disrespectful tone, he responded in a very calm and disinterested voice, even.

"Indeed you are, filth. I was promised your presence here by the polluted rabble, and here you are. Now come...your flesh, your weapons, and the power sealed in them, they belong to me now."

In that moment, the Dragon immediately opened his mouth and inhaled with an incredibly monstrous strength, Ragnar mustered all the strength he could on his membrane wings, but there was no use.

And just like that, Ragnar was swallowed whole by the Mountainous Dragon Lord.

**[Minutes ago, the exact moment when Ragnar was transported to the Rust Mountains]**

The High Priest of the Sky People community in the Rust Mountains was in the middle of his weekly tribute ritual to their Mountain God, which was performed in a little floating platform located just outside of the temple. The Aarakocra of the New World are very ancient, both as a Race and as a culture, predating even the arrival of Players from YGGDRASIL. Hence, they have prayed to plenty of Gods during their history, most of them are as ancient as they are, but some of them are fairly recent in comparison, like the Eight Greed Kings' doctrine for example that was adapted and assimilated into their pantheon of Deities.

But those 8 Gods didn't lasted long in the pantheon of their community in the Rust Mountains because of the addition of their most recent Deity, the aforementioned Mountain God who entered their pantheon around 5 centuries ago and demanded the Eight Greed Kings to be removed from their worship.

The thing is, this specific God in particular is considerably different from the other Deities in the Sky People's pantheon. While most Gods are abstract concepts, invisible to the naked eye yet still real to their worshippers, the Mountain God of the Sky People is a physical and perfectly visible being, and on top of it, the Mountain God became such because he demanded to be worshipped by the Sky People. It wasn't even a question, this being simply told them to crown him their God and expected to be obeyed.

Some philosophers may argue if such being even qualifies to be a "God" in the first place, yet nobody dares to doubt the self-proclaimed divinity of this being. After all, who in their sane state of mind would dare to contradict a True Dragon Lord? Especially one as powerful as Huyrtob=Keiyvlais, the Mountainous Dragon Lord.

The Sky People might be theocratic in nature, but they would obviously put their own survival before their religion, so if a power they could never overcome by themselves threatens them to modify their religion or die, then they have no choice but to accept the Dragon Lord's demands.

At first the Sky People living in the Rust Mountains were quite uncomfortable, worshipping such a mundane being like a Deity, but with time they slowly begun to realize the advantages of having a Dragon Lord of the old world as a patron. The greatest one among those perks was their scientific progress, especially in the magical field since for the very first time in their history they had the opportunity to study the physiology of a Wild Magic user up close.

They learned how to adapt the principles of the Dragons' primordial Soul magic with the mechanics of the Tier Magic spread by the Eight Greed Kings, this in turn accelerated their technological progress as well, eventually allowing their civilization to create Magic Devices long before the "God-King" Ainz Ooal Gown even descended to this world.

Another perk of worshipping someone like Huyrtob was also their newfound access to his ancient knowledge and forgotten lore, since someone as ancient as the Mountainous Dragon Lord was sure to know great amounts of history that no other civilization in this world had access to.

The Sky People were relatively advanced even before the arrival of YGGDRASIL beings, but the incredibly fast progress that they went through thanks to Huyrtob's prescense has truly cemented them as arguably the most advanced civilization in the New World. It took a few generations, but they eventually came around to recognize Huyrtob as their most important Deity.

Quite ironic, a Mountain God being the most important God to a civilization known as the Sky People.

But an outsider looking at all this from a neutral perspective may wonder, "that is nice and all, but why did this Dragon Lord got so charitable out of the blue? The Sky People became super advanced in a magical and mostly medieval world, but what did Huyrtob got in return of all that?" The answer is quite simple, he got an entire society of bootlickers simply to massage his massive ego and have servants to obey his every whim. That's it. There's no complicated scheme nor 4D chess moves going on, Huyrtob's sole ambition in life was to have an entire Race of slaves to do everything for him, nothing more.

Isn't that such a lazy life goal for a True Dragon Lord? Well yes, yes it is. But Huyrtob himself doesn't cares much because he himself is a very lazy being. Since the moment he was born, Huyrtob had always put just the minimum amount of effort into everything he does, and if he can get others to do things for him then even better.

And again one may wonder, "why would such a lazy Dragon even bother to join an Anti-Player Alliance in the first place? Isn't that too much work for a lazy freeloader?" Is BECAUSE Huyrtob is a lazy freeloader than he joined said Alliance in the first place.

It all started centuries ago, shortly after the Greed Kings' genocide. The remaining Dragons were scattered around Maerû, their numbers now a mere fraction of what they were during their glorious days.

During the dawn of a new day, all the remaining Dragons were simultaneously called by their Emperor. Not their previous Emperor that made the monumental mistake of calling aliens from another world who then proceeded to massacre them by the countless, no, but rather their new and younger Emperor, the one who was crowned such after the timely death of the previous one.

Mairgoleido=Vaision, who was the Crown Prince during the reign of the greedy "kinkiller" Barghelide=Vaision, is the Dragon Emperor now.

And predictably, most of the Dragons who heard his call responded to it. While many of them may not even personally like Mairgoleido in the first place, he's still their Emperor, respect to a superior and more powerful being is one of the things that separates the Dragons from the lesser creatures. Of course, Dragons aren't the only ones who do such thing so such sentiment is false, but Dragons are far too arrogant to even consider the fact that other Races are similar to them.

Huyrtob was among those who responded Mairgoleido's call, but was the last one to arrive, being so lazy and all.

Curiously enough, Tsaindorcus was missing. Most members present had a rough idea of why the Dragon Prince would refuse to answer the call of both his elder brother and rightful Emperor, so nobody raised their voice to point such thing out. Huyrtob for his part doesn't knows nor cares about the drama of the Vaision family, that's too much effort for him.

Their Emperor sported a majestic physical form. At least, that's what one would normally say if not for the unsightly wounds covering Mairgoleido's body. Also, one of his talons was closed in the shape of a fist for some reason, perhaps it has a wound the Emperor doesn't wants anyone to see?

The day before, Mairgoleido led a group of the strongest Dragon Lord survivors into a final desperate attack against the Greed Kings, and judging from his fatally wounded appearance and the fact that none of his troops came back, it's safe to say that the final ditch effort to eliminate the filth didn't went well.

Mairgoleido remained silent for a while, taking a good glance at all his subjects in front of him. Surely he was basking on the fact that he is the legitimate ruler of all the beings standing there. No Dragon present would blame such narcissistic act though, each and every single one of them would also savour the title of Emperor as well should they be in Mairgoleido's place.

Eventually, their Emperor spoke.

"My subjects, no...my peers, my brethren! Look at us! Look at what we have become! What's left of us! We, the rightful rulers of this world, reduced to stepping stones of disgusting aliens who spread their filth on our home!"

Mairgoleido's voice was filled with a passioned rage. Indeed, every single Dragon listening to the Emperor's words also felt the flames of fury slowly swell inside them, no matter how different from each other the Dragons are, all of them share the same innate pride that gave them the entitled feeling of being superior to pretty much everything and everyone else.

Hence, the fact that a bunch of otherworldly beings that never even belonged to this world in the first place dared to cull them out and irreparably crippled them alongside their progeny forever is more than enough to fire up an inextinguishable flame under their collective belly.

Now that he had their full attention, Mairgoleido kept speaking.

"And why!? Why is it that we, members of an allpowerful Race, were reduced to this sorry state!? My fucking father! That's why! My father allowed his selfish greed to cloud his judgement! He tore off a portion of the Soul of this world and used it as fuel to commit an unspeakable crime! He believed himself omnipotent, but was everything but! And now we ALL must pay for his hubris!"

Several angry shouts of "Yeah!" and "Kinkiller!" were amount the Dragons' loud exclamations. A few among them didn't bothered to join the noisy crowd however, besides the lazy Huyrtob, several reserved Dragons held back their own explosive emotions and remained calm. Superficially calm, at least.

One of those composed Dragons raised his voice amidst the mob screams to make his Emperor a valid question.

"You're stating the obvious, lord Mairgoleido. Did you really called us all here just to tell us things we already knew?"

The one who made this question was an unhealthy-looking pale Dragon whose physical appearance bared suspicious similarities with the infamous Sulte'rioj, the Elemental Dragon Lord. However, Huyrtob took notice of his emaciated appearance, bloodshot eyes, elongated claws, nearly ripped wings, and there wasn't even a single drop of life energy circulating on this Dragon-looking being's body. There's no way this decayed creature is Sulte'rioj.

"Yeah, you just wanna babble? Why waste everyone's time like this!"

This time the one who spoke up was Dahak=Tamat, the Crimson Dragon Lord. His tone was clearly upset, there's no doubt about that, but it's hard to tell if he's mad towards the lingering filth of the previous Emperor, or the babbling of the current Emperor.

Maybe both, Dahak's fiery temper is legendary, after all. Almost as legendary as his tempestuous physical might and unyielding Wild Magic power, both which fuel his unimaginably powerful fire that's capable of melting even the sturdiest of materials, easily reducing the largest mountains to little more than lakes of molten rock.

That's why nobody dared to point out his disrespect towards the Dragon Emperor. In fact, this recent burst of rage made his body flare up just a little bit, yet that was enough to significantly raise the temperature around him, so much that the ground below his legs begun to melt into magma, the surrounding Dragons had to either make distance away from Dahak or protect their bodies with a Wild Magic shield.

"I concur, my lord. Why simply say things that have already been said numerous times? Is this perhaps a mere prelude of some sort of scheme you want us to be part of?"

The one who gave his opinion just now was none other than Apsu=Bahetm, the Gold Dragon Lord.

He was an intimidating Dragon, that's for sure, but not in the same vein that the Dragon Emperor or those like Dahak were. No, Apsu intimidated his fellow Dragon Lords because he was a being composed entirely by contradictions.

For starters, Apsu was strong, very, very, very, VERY strong. His power is rumored to be on par with members of the royal family like Mairgoleido and Tsaindorcus, and some even go further and say Apsu is stronger than the royal family. Nobody is absolutely certain about just how strong Apsu is for sure, since every single fight he's been in (at least, those that the other Dragons are aware of) have all been settled with a single strike.

Everyone would have a clearer idea of Apsu's strength if they ever saw him in a situation that forces him to unleash his full power, since nobody has ever even seen him go as far as using his breath weapon, yet such thing has never happened because of the aforementioned contradiction: Apsu is a pacifist.

All that unfathomable power, yet Apsu refuses to use it. His Dragon peers (if they can truly be called that) would accuse him of being a coward if it weren't for fear of the Gold Dragon Lord's rage.

Who knows? Such pacifist facade could very well be a deception for all they know. In which case, Apsu would truly be a being worth fearing.

And even if his nature wasn't a lie, Apsu still has enough presence to calm down the restlessness of the other Dragons with his voice alone, since it was his statement what not only made the Dragons shut up, but what drew the attention of the Dragon Emperor towards him as well.

Mairgoleido took a short glance at Apsu, and then spoke in a confident tone.

"How insightful of you. Yes, it's true that we all know that the words I've spoken are facts, and yes, I do have a proper idea about how to deal with our situation."

It seems Mairgoleido simply stated the obvious in order to rile up his subjects and set them in a revenge-thirsty mood for whatever plan he's cooking up on his head.

"If you all pay attention, my brethren. The answer we seek, the tool of our retribution, is right here."

At those words, Mairgoleido raised his right front limb, whose claws were closed all this time akin to a fist, and opened it so everyone could see what he was holding. He even used his Wild Magic to levitate the object as well, to make sure everyone could see it.

And it seems that Mairgoleido was also hiding until now the presence of the object he was holding on his talons as well, because unlike moments ago, every single Dragon present could now feel the overwhelmingly powerful energy emanating from said object.

Yes, every single individual could not help but pay attention to the object their Emperor was showing them, a bewildered and mouth agape expression painted on literally everyone, even Huyrtob himself couldn't hide his shock.

"What...just what...!?"

"This type of power, what is that power!?"

"Let me see it closer! Please my lord! I have to know what it is!"

Such exclamations were combined in a deafening sea of screams, and would have continued to devolve into a riot if not for Mairgoleido's following action.

"ENOUGH!"

With an earth-shaking tail swipe to the ground, the Emperor forced everyone to reign themselves back in. And after making sure that everyone was sane enough to pay attention, Mairgoleido continued to speak.

"As all of you can see with your own eyes, my latest attempt to eliminate my father's filth was a failure, with both the wounds covering my form and the absence of the ones who joined my crusade as witness of such thing...but not all is lost! We can strike again! We _will_ strike again! And we will succeed! We will, by using this object of great power that the filth who I stole it from addressed as 'World-class Item'."

The object on Mairgoleido's talons was a World-class Item known as [Seeds of the World Tree]. Originally on the possession of the Greed Kings, Mairgoleido took the opportunity to steal one of his enemies' strongest weapons while his comrades were all being massacred by his father's filth. A very shitty action for a leader, one would assume, and the Dragons would agree. Mairgoleido's actions were more fitting to those of a coward rather than those of a Dragon Emperor, but if there's one thing that rivals or even surpasses their draconic pride, is their bottomless greed.

If they could have the opportunity of taking an object of such immeasurable power for themselves, then they would gladly sacrifice their comrades to do so, without even needing to think twice.

"But, how will such object aid our cause my lord? Do you even know what that 'World-class Item' does?"

Again, the emaciated creature resembling Sulte'rioj made a valid question. The object holds enormous power, that's great, but how can they properly use that power? The equipment that the filth use is custom-made for themselves, and any attempt to exploit the power inside the weapons of fallen or incapacitated filth have never given any results so far.

Mairgoleido then gave a silent but reproaching stare at the Dragon who made the question, as if saying "why you even make such a dumb question?" But the Emperor decided to respond regardless.

"Ah, of course, none of you were born as children of an Emperor like I was. As it turns out, my blood allows me to have a firmer grasp on our natural affinities to manipulate and discern Souls. That includes alien Souls as well, like the Souls of the filth of my father, or the Souls of their powerful weaponry."

Of course, the members of the Vaision family have been ruling over dragonkind since time immemorial, them having such superior dominion over Wild Magic and all the skills it gives should've been obvious to anyone. Being able to discern the abilities of someone or something after studying it for a good while is such ability. Dragon "commoners" have all failed so far to accurately discern the abilities of both the filth and their weapons, but it seems that such thing is trivial for Mairgoleido, especially after his ascension to the throne.

"As such, I can be certain that the power of this object I hold will give us the power we need to destroy the filth. All you have to do to believe me, is watch."

And just like that, Mairgoleido swallowed the [Seeds of the World Tree] as if it were treats.

Then...something none of them could've predicted would happen, happened.

Mairgoleido's body begun to swell and enlarge, his wounds were healing at an accelerated rate, an extra pair of front limbs spouted on his torso, several new eyes, a second tail, a new pair of wings, an extra mouth on his head, Mairgoleido was slowly mutating into what could only be described as an abomination. It wasn't until his shimmering prismatic scales were replaced by a hideous wood carapace that the horrible mutation finally stopped.

The newly transformed Dragon Emperor exhaled softly, a dark purple smoke escaped from both of his mouths as he did so, and slowly gazed at his dumbfounded subjects who clearly had a very hard time believing what they just saw, yet none of them could deny it.

Not only his physical appearance, but Mairgoleido's Soul was now twisted and polluted as well. If anything, his essence was now more akin to those of the previous Dragon Emperor's filth, not a single portion of his Soul resembled that of a Dragon anymore.

"What...what have you done...?"

It was Apsu the one who broke the silence with those words. He basically said what everyone watching this horror show wanted to say but was far too shocked to actually say it.

"...I have become...their death...the sole creature that the filth fear..."

Even Mairgoleido's voice was also corrupted, but that's to be expected since his single mouth literally split into 2 mouths, and as a result his voice is now overlapped, on top of rugged and hoarse.

"There's...there's a creature that the filth fear!? Really!?"

The one who spoke just now was a pretty infamous toady known as Cure Elim, even among weak cowards, this specific one lowered the bar in every way. Meek, feeble, inferior to even fellow Dragons of similar age, he would be called the scum of their kin if not for the fact that there were Dragons weaker than even him.

"When our fallen brethren and I were in the middle of combat, one of the filth dared to mock us, saying out loud how inferior we are to the creatures they call 'Super Bosses'. However, such act of arrogance will prove their downfall, thanks to such slip of tongue I learned of the existence of the beings they fear, and thanks to the sacrifice of our comrades I obtained the means of transforming myself into one. Now...I have become...a 'Super Boss'!"

The [Seeds of the World Tree] is a World-class Item that can freely Race-change the user while ignoring any prerequisites to do so and without any known restrictions. However, such things usually apply only for playable Races, a Player can't Race-change itself to a Race that didn't existed in YGGDRASIL, nor transform into a Boss of any sort (the World-class Item used by a previous World Champion of Muspelheim was a different one) because Bosses weren't a chosable Race.

However, that was back in YGGDRASIL. In this world the power of YGGDRASIL remnants has been altered, just like some Spells and Skills used by Players has become either slightly or significantly stronger, the Items of YGGDRASIL have adapted accordingly as well. In the case of World-class Items, now they're capable of doing everything they're supposed to do to the letter, no ifs or buts.

Now, [Seeds of the World Tree] is truly capable of transforming the user into anything, LITERALLY anything.

Mairgoleido commanded the World-class Item to transform him into one of the "Super Bosses" that one of the Greed Kings casually mentioned, and [Seeds of the World Tree] granted him his wish.

And now...the Dragon Emperor Mairgoleido=Vaision has been reborn as a World-class Enemy!

"Now I finally have the power it takes to purge our world from the filth! But take heed, my brethren, because I won't do such thing alone! What type of Emperor I would be if I keep all the glory to myself? Join me, my comrades, for we already underestimated the filth twice, and we shan't do so thrice! Together we shall fix the wrongdoings of my father! Let's cultivate the power needed to thoroughly eliminate this filth for good, and all the filth that shall arrive after them as well!"

Mairgoleido's bashful statement was filled to the brim with pride and authority, it may've sounded as a request but it definitely wasn't one. He's telling his weaker and inferior but still draconic subjects what they must do, for he is their Emperor, and Dragons have always obeyed the will of their lord. Always.

Until now, that is...

"You expect us to follow you now? After what you just did!?"

Dahak was far more furious than he was before, his rage echoed from the depths of his Soul.

"You soiled your own body and Soul, renounced not only to your dragonhood but also your birthright, and yet you dare to keep addressing us as mere subjects!?"

Even Apsu was furious, it seems Mairgoleido's plan didn't went as he had planned. He expected that his newfound power would inspire the lesser Dragons to become stronger in order to help him on his schemes, but it backfired.

They saw his transformation into an invincible being as an insult to their draconic pride, Mairgoleido's actions clearly showed everyone that he thinks that being a Dragon isn't enough, but instead saw the need transform himself into a far filthier being than the damned lot.

"You refuse to obey me? Your rightful ruler!? You dare to talk back to me!?"

The prideful Mairgoleido was obviously having none of that. So what if he's no longer a Dragon? He's still their Emperor, and should be treated as such!

But despite the reaction of most of his former subjects, there's still at least someone who's loyal to him, and wasn't afraid to show his loyalty in front of the rebels.

"I dare not talk back to you, my lord. I'm still and will always be your loyal servant, and will willingly join your noble cause."

The one who had the guts to say such thing aloud was the pale creature resembling Sulte'rioj, he gave a few steps forward and held his unnaturally thin head up, determination was clearly emanating from his bloodshot eyes.

"What!? You will follow a traitor of our kind!?"

"Filth! Both of you are the same filth!"

"Death to filthy traitors!"

Such accusations and threats were being endlessly thrown towards the Sulte'rioj-like being, yet he didn't flinched even a bit.

Huyrtob for his part was totally indifferent to everything going on, he didn't felt neither admiration nor repulshion towards Mairgoleido's actions, but what he did felt right now was a slight sense of admiration towards this emaciated being, willing to stand by himself and don't giving a single damn to what the other Dragons say or do.

"If, if by joining your side I can get stronger, if I can obtain the power needed to eliminate the filth for good, the-then I will glady follow you as well, my lord!"

The one who followed suit was Cure Elim, he nervously stepped forward as well and slowly held his head up too.

However, unlike the pale being from before, Huyrtob felt nothing but apathy towards the little toady. Speaking up his mind only after someone else had the courage to stand up first, and even then Cure Elim didn't had the strength to hide his fear. Truly, a meek coward. His opinion of Cure Elim just plummeted even more.

And predictably, the accusations of treason doubled up immediately after Cure Elim stepped up. It seemed like a violent revolt would burst any second now, and would have, if not for the sudden arrival of an unexpected individual.

"HaHaHaHaHa! What a freak show! Mind if I join in!?"

A Dark Dragon loudly landed in the middle of the commotion, and after everyone present got a clear look of who it was, the mood got suddenly silent. Several suspicious and surprised stares swiftly replaced the chaotic and furious ones.

"It's that...it's that who I think it is?"

"Can't be, I heard he was dead."

"What's he doing here? Gone for entire centuries and now showing up like that?"

"What could he want...is he on our side?"

The Dark Dragon didn't bothered to pay any attention to his peers, instead he simply addressed the enormous wood creature as if those 2 were the only ones here.

"Is that really you, Mairgoleido? Is this disgusting creature is really the Crown Prince!? Ha! What a...wait, your father died, no? That means you're not the Crown Prince no more...but who cares!? You're gross! HaHaHaHaHa!"

Mairgoleido for his part wasn't amused, but instead of simply annihilating the mocking Dragon in front of him, he decided to try and recruit him for his cause. Killing such a powerful subject would truly be a waste after all.

"Did you came here just to mock me, Dirvelek? Or are you willing to consider what I have to offer?"

The infamous prodigy, Dirvelek, painted a maniacal grin on his face before giving his thoughts in a mocking tone.

"Offer? Does that offer has something to do with the way you made the world scream just now? Or the way you twisted your own essence? Your Soul reeks, Mairgoleido, is the infamous filth of your father really so terrible that even you had to do this to yourself? Eh, our kind is doomed, isn't it?"

Dirvelek was being hypocritically sarcastic, he himself challenged and was utterly defeated by the filth of the previous Dragon Emperor, but because of his nature as an antisocial loner only he is aware of that fact so far.

"Y-you disrespectful idiot! Our lord is promising us the power to reclaim this world! And you dare mock him!?"

It seems Cure Elim just grew some guts, spitting insults towards Dirvelek (someone who could easily destroy him) that way.

Or that's what someone would think, that is, until Dirvelek slowly turned his head to stare directly at Cure Elim, who then immediately reverted to his meek and cowardly nature. The way he shrinked himself in an attempt to look smaller and non-threatening in an attempt to escape Dirvelek's wrath was a truly pathetic sight.

But Dirvelek wasn't angry at all, he was amused.

"Reclaim this world? You for real, Mairgoleido!? And I thought I was insane! Ha! What the hell are we supposed to do!? What _can_ we do!? Simply getting a little stronger won't do shit to alien monsters like those! And even IF we could do something, how are we supposed to stop them from reviving themselves like they do after you slay one of them!?"

That last part of his statement drew several surprised stares from the other Dragons, even Huyrtob himself was a little bit shocked.

Dirvelek knows that the filth revive themselves after their deaths, but you can only know such thing if you manage to successfully slay one of them. The other Dragon Lords could only learn such thing by forming teams and surrounding the filth, overwhelming them with numbers, and even then the filth always managed to fatally wound or kill a comrade before dying themselves.

However, no Dragon has ever fought alongside Dirvelek, not even once, and yet he was capable of slaying a filth? By himself!? And lived to tell the tale!?

Everyone knew he was a prodigy, but nobody could have imagined that he would be that strong.

Mairgoleido's gut feeling was true, Dirvelek has too much potential, it would be a total waste if he doesn't join his cause.

"It's true that they do come back to life after we slay them. However, they aren't capable of doing such thing without paying a price. Has none of you noticed? The filth get systematically weaker after each death. If we manage to join forces, and be united for real this time, we will slay them until they're reduced to the vermin they truly are!"

The former Emperor was being redundant at this point, no matter what he says or does, he will never regain the loyalty of the remaining Dragons. But Mairgoleido doesn't care less about the weaker breeds now, he just wants to win Dirvelek over to his side.

Dirvelek for his part had a weird expression on his face, it seems he couldn't find a proper answer to Mairgoleido's invitation to what many would consider a dumb suicidal mission, but luckily (or unluckily) for him, Dirvelek couldn't cares less if such path will end with his death. Part of his twisted and demented self secretly wants to die, even, so his answer was a simple one.

"We will end up dead, you know, all of us! But whatever! At least we will all be slaughtered in a blaze of glory! Count me in, you demented bastard!"

And just like that, the near-invincible Deep Darkness Dragon Lord officially became a traitor of his kind.

Many furious looks of disapproval were staring daggers at Dirvelek's back, but it mattered not, none of them dared to strike such an unfathomable being, no matter how rightful their wrath is.

But not all of them shared the same disapproval, a final insolent traitor was seemingly inspired by Dirvelek's foolishness and stepped up as well.

"If both Mairgoleido and Dirvelek will be part of this alliance, if our lord does deliver on his promise of more power, then I shall join this alliance as well!"

Huyrtob couldn't recognize the last Dragon who stepped up. It was an odd-looking one, covered from head to tail with large and pointy spikes, must likely an untalented nobody who never made a name for himself, perhaps he just wants to join this rebellious team in order to piggyback on the fame of others.

Pathetic, Cure Elim and now this nobody. If it weren't for Mairgoleido and Dirvelek, the this new alliance would be composed entirely of losers. But that pale creature resembling Sulte'rioj does spark Huyrtob's curiosity, though.

And now that he had a total of 4 Dragons on his side, Mairgoleido gave a final look at his former subjects and made one last question.

"Anyone else wants to join the side of the strong? Anyone?"

A deep and unnerving silence fell on this little side of the New World. Nobody spoke, nobody moved. Their dead silence was a crystal clear response, no other Dragon was willing to follow a traitor of their Race, even it means to face the fury of their former and now much, much stronger Emperor.

"...so be it."

Without any warning, Mairgoleido opened both his mouths and begun to violently swallow tremendous amounts of air through them. His head became a cataclysmically powerful vacuum that swallowed everything and everyone on its vicinity.

Well, almost everything, since the 4 Dragons that willingly joined his side weren't being pulled into his mouth at all. But only they were spared, since every other Dragon that refused to join his side, basically everyone else, was sentenced to death, by cannibalism!

One by one the disobedient Dragons were being systematically eaten whole by Mairgoleido, the former Dragon Emperor become so large after his consumption of [Seeds of the World Tree] that "normal" Dragons were little more than snacks to him now.

So diminutive to him, that they couldn't even resist his pull no matter how physically strong they were.

The nearly extinct Race of Dragons was now being culled even further, first by the hands of the filth and now by the mouth of their former ruler!

_'Why!? Why did this happen!? What did the Dragons ever did to deserve this fate!?'_

Those were the lingering dying thoughts of the ones being swallowed whole and quickly digested by Mairgoleido. He didn't ate them simply as a form of punishment however, by consuming their flesh in such way, Mairgoleido is slowly but constantly increasing his own power even further, if the disobedient Dragons will not join his cause, then they will serve as nourishment for his own strength.

And he would've successfully devoured them all, that is, if not for the continued defiance of the few Dragon Lords that rivalled the likes of Dirvelek.

Like Dahak for instance, buffing his incalculable strength with his vast Wild Magic to hold himself firmly into the ground, stubbornly refusing to allow himself to be the food of a traitor.

"There's no way...! There's no fucking way I will die like this!"

Indeed, the Crimson Dragon Lord will NOT allow himself to die such a pitiful death, not after everything he has lived, not after everything he has fought!

"We have received so much pain already, and you dare to inflict upon us even more!? After everything we've endured!? You don't deserve to call yourself our Emperor! You're truly not even a Dragon anymore! Mairgoleido!"

Apsu's words however fell on deaf ears, their former Emperor decided they all must die, and there's nothing he can do about it.

...or is it...?

Apsu mustered all the Wild Magic he could without letting go of his firm grasp on the ground, condensed it all on his mouth, and for the first time in front of others he unleashed his breath weapon.

It was the most powerful breath attack Apsu ever unleashed, an unimaginably hot cone of electrified plasma was fired directly at Mairgoleido's open mouth, and to everyone's shock (including Apsu's own) the attack worked! So strong was the breath attack that Mairgoleido was stunned, interrupting the vacuum.

Ironically enough, the vacuum itself tremendously increased the speed and potency of the plasma cone aimed at his mouth, Apsu managed to turn Mairgoleido's newfound power against himself!

And he won't let this opportunity skip by, he proceeded to fire even more powerful plasma attacks towards Mairgoleido in order to keep him stunned and create an escape window for the few survivors, no matter how small.

"Everyone! Let us turn our backs to this land and live to fight another day! We are what remains of the Dragon Empire! As long as we live, our legacy shan't die! Follow me!"

And just like that, Apsu flew away at supersonic speeds, and the few remaining Dragon Lords including Dahak decided to follow him.

There's nothing left for the True Dragons here. Their previous Emperor, Barghelide=Vaision, is gone. Their current Emperor turned his back on their kind and transformed himself into an abomination of the same cloth as the filth. And the sole remaining Prince, Tsaindorcus=Vaision, is nowhere to be found, and there's nothing he could do anyways, not anymore.

They will find a new land, they will live, they will prosper. As long as there's no more alien filth, as long as no one else becomes a second Mairgoleido, the remaining True Dragon Lords will live in peace.

Apsu naturally became the "de facto" leader of the True Dragon Lords that followed him, a pseudo-Dragon Emperor so to speak, and he wisely led his refugee peers in their search for a new and peaceful place where they could rest from all the calamities that befell their kind.

Little did they knew back then that the lands that they eventually found and adopted as their new home, the supercontinent that the Sky People christened "Kolorioh", would also become the nesting ground of future waves of YGGDRASIL beings...

The Dragons of the New World, what a sad tale they have to tell.

But back to the newly formed Anti-Player Alliance in Maerû, by the time that Mairgoleido recovered from Apsu's flurry of attacks, the disobedient Dragons had already escaped his grasp. Turns out that he was still not fully used to his new World-class Enemy body, so he couldn't exploit his new strength as efficiently as he wished.

Had Mairgoleido been in perfect control of his new body, then not a single Dragon Lord would've escaped his grasp. But alas, he already devoured most of his insolent subjects, the ones that escaped him were meager weaklings save for Apsu and Dahak. He has Dirvelek on his side though, so he considers it a victory, his plan can still succeed.

And speaking of Dirvelek.

"You, why did none of you intercepted the Gold Dragon Lord? I could've devoured him and the Crimson Dragon Lord as well."

His mouths which were still dripping blood were addressing all 4 of his allies, but he was mostly talking to Dirvelek, since only he would've actually been able to do something about Apsu.

"Reaaaally? A being like you needed us to clean his mess? What a joke."

Dirvelek's mocking remark was infuriating, but true. It's his own fault that those 2 escaped, and it's also likely that he would've accidentally devoured Dirvelek as well if he moved from the spot he was standing in, and Mairgoleido needs him alive, a dead Dragon can't grow any stronger.

"Well, if you're salty about it, maybe you can try eating that guy over there?"

The one that Dirvelek was referring to was a Dragon Lord that managed to "hide" from literally everything that just happened in this place. He remained totally silent during the rageful mob screams, didn't made a stand to join the side of the Dragon "traitors", he even managed to resist the devouring vacuum, but didn't followed Apsu and the other Dragons that escaped. The reason was simple, flying away in the search of new lands sounded way to troublesome for him, and he's just to lazy to muster the energy to do that.

Of course, Dirvelek was talking about Huyrtob himself. The Mountainous Dragon Lord was sitting in the exact. same. spot. he was sitting at when he arrived, the vacuum didn't even managed to move him a fraction of a centimeter. Of course, as a Dragon Lord that specializes in the earth and minerals, being able to glue himself into the ground is trivial for him, he was the only one that didn't struggled to resist the vacuum, even.

Mairgoleido was obviously curious about this Dragon that escaped everyone's notice. He got near Huyrtob to have a better look at him, hoping to use his newly enhanced senses to analyze him, but as he got to a certain distance of his personal space, Huyrtob unleashed his magma breath attack against Mairgoleido.

"Keep your distance from me, your royal assness, your Soul stinks."

It wasn't near as powerful as Apsu's electrified plasma, but he definitely felt that nonetheless despite being a "Super Boss" that even the filth fear. This Dragon Lord is no small fry, with enough polishing Huyrtob could become someone on par with Dirvelek, at least that's what Mairgoleido thinks.

"You have great potential, my subject. You didn't turn your back on me like the other disobedient cowards, so I shall forgive your insolent act against me."

After saying those words, Mairgoleido took to the skies with his multiple wings and spoke to his allies.

"My brethren, this is the first day of a new world. Our enemies get weaker, yet we shall only grow stronger! Follow me."

"Where are we going?"

"To the place where it all started, the place where my father forcefully ripped a portion of this world's Soul, the place where he summoned the filth contaminating our world."

The other 4 Dragons that agreed to join the new Alliance also took to the skies and followed their leader's trail. All except Huyrtob that is, he just stood there, alone, staring into the clouds.

He had no idea what to do about the current situation, it seems the former Emperor spared his life, but didn't made any active attempts to recruit him. Perhaps he just expects Huyrtob to follow him? Perhaps he thinks that he will eventually chose to join him simply because he has nothing better to do?

If that's what Mairgoleido thinks, then...he's right. Huyrtob has literally nothing else to do with his life at this point, with nearly all his kind dead or missing, what else does he have?

"_Sigh_, whatever. It's not like they're in the wrong, I do hate the filth, it's their fault that this mess exists in the first place after all."

So with a newfound determination burning on his eyes, Huyrtob stood up from his sitting spot, turned to the direction the others went, and...! Begun to walk.

...what? Why isn't he flying? Because that's too bothersome, that's why. The place Mairgoleido mentioned isn't going anywhere, so there's no need to hurry, is there?

He's perfectly capable of reaching that place by walking, there's no need to overexert yourself for no reason, he just needs to walk.

And walk...and walk...and walk...

Step by step he gets closer.

He WILL get there, eventually, someday.

Just need to keep walking, yep. Walk.

He's not lazy, he's just preserving his energy, you never know when an enemy will ambush you, will you?

That's right, Huyrtob isn't lazy at all! He's just patient! It's everyone else who's impatient and always rushes to everything, it's everyone else who's in the wrong!

These are the types of thoughts that Huyrtob constantly repeats on his head while lazily doing anything. Always putting the minimum amount of effort in everything he does. Truly, "Deadweight Dragon Lord" would've been a more accurate title for Huyrtob, but eh.

He was always behind his comrades of the Alliance when it came to their training to destroy the filth as well, but the reason he was tolerated by them was because of the results he displayed and which nobody could argue against.

Turns out Mairgoleido was also right about Huyrtob's innate potential; when he puts the effort, he truly is on par with the greatest Dragon Lord prodigies that the New World has ever seen. Such a waste, to see all that potential locked up in such a lazy and indolent creature. Why are the Dragons of this world always showered by such misfortune? The Dragons never practiced the religious act of worshipping Gods, so they have nobody else to blame for such cruel twists of fate besides their own greedy Emperors.

But nevertheless, their joint training continued for several decades before petty squabbles and impatience eventually forced each of them to abandon the place where the last Dragon Emperor summoned the filth, the place that the Sky People christened "Rust Mountains", and go their separate ways.

Dirvelek could never hope to topple Mairgoleido, the other Dragons weren't even near half his level, and Huyrtob was a strong but lazy scrub, he was so bored that he was the first one to leave the group.

The spiked nobody who's name was Guste Mik also left the group soon after him, turns out the sole reason he even agreed to join the Alliance was so he could become strong enough to defeat Dirvelek, but he was gone now, so there was no reason for Guste Mik to remain in the group.

The pale creature who turned out to actually be Sulte'rioj after all was the third one to leave, he claimed to have learned everything he needed from the others and then abandoned the group without saying a single word.

Cure Elim took longer than the previous 3 to leave, most likely needed to muster up the courage to do so, but if Huyrtob were to speak his mind he would say that Cure Elim was the one that improved the most out of all the members of the Alliance. He may still be a coward, but now he's a slightly stronger coward.

At the end only Mairgoleido, who abandoned his title of Prismatic Dragon Lord and renamed himself the World Tree Dragon Lord in honor of his new and much more powerful shape, and Huyrtob himself were left.

The Mountainous Dragon Lord for his part wasn't willing to spend so much energy in looking for a place to call his own like the others did, so he remained where he was, EXACTLY where he was, even after the World Tree Dragon Lord himself completed his preparations or whatever for some sort of master plan he didn't wanted to tell the others and also left the Rust Mountains, Huyrtob remained in the same spot, and hence that place became his "home".

What's wrong with living in that remote place? He put a considerable amount of time and effort to walk all the way there, he has every right to stay in that place for as long as he wants!

Besides, the Rust Mountains didn't remained desolated forever. Eventually, the ever-expanding Aarakocra found and decided to study the mysterious phenomenon that made the local mountains turn into such unnatural reddish coloration, with time they settled in said place to build a community, unaware at first that Huyrtob was there since that Dragon literally looks like just another mountain when he's asleep, he even camouflaged himself by turning his mountain-shell into the same reddish tint of all the surrounding place. And by the time the Aarakocra realized that they were building a city in the territory of a True Dragon Lord, it was too late.

Huyrtob used his powerful Wild Magic to trap them, using a modified version of the [World-Warping Wall] in order to make them unable to even call for aid. It wasn't until they promised to fulfill his demands (crown him their Mountain God, that is) that Huyrtob released them and allowed them to continue their lives.

Of course, this entire incident was isolated in the Rust Mountains since Huyrtob didn't wanted to spare the energy required to hunt down and coerce the entire civilization, but all the Sky People received the benefits of studying and learning from the Mountainous Dragon Lord regardless, a win-win situation if you ignore the temporal kidnapping part.

And for a few centuries Huyrtob's life remained relatively peaceful, he never heard of the other members of the Alliance or of any lingering filth, but he did kept his eyes open just in case. An invisible sensory field that was also a modified version of [World-Warping Wall] surrounds all his territory, a field that doesn't prevents teleportation of any sort, but rather it simply alerts Huyrtob of the presence of any True Dragon Lord or filth that dares cross his territory.

The first time his alarms were sound was decades ago, when someone known as "Crown Prince" of a King or God or whatever decided to conquer his servants or something. Apparently, this Emperor-something was an extremely powerful weilder of the filthy magic that the damned group of 8 used to pollute the world, and he was in the middle of an expansion campaign for his nation which was led by the firstborn son of this filthy spellcaster.

Huyrtob doesn't remembers all the details very well, but he does remember the disgusting stench of said Crown Prince. A tint so similar to the Souls of the Dragon Emperor's filth, yet it felt a bit different somehow. Huyrtob commanded his servants to lure this creature to him, but at that moment was also when the father of said Crown Prince ordered his son to retreat from his lands to never return.

To this day Huyrtob still wonders just what the hell was that creature. A being so similar yet still different to the Dragon Emperor's filth, could it be that the father of that Crown Prince was a filth himself? Huyrtob doesn't entertains that idea so much since it's too troublesome for him, he prefers to simply wait for the next time a piece of filth invades his territory, and this time he will be ready.

And it seems his patience paid off because, a second ago, his sensory field captured the presence of another filth once again. And this time, he's sure, this second creature that sounded his alarms is indeed a true filth of the Dragon Emperor. There's no doubt about it, unlike that Crown Prince who's Soul was extremely similar to the filth but not really the same, this insectoid creature is indeed 100% alien, and he's not letting it escape this time!

It was when the High Priest was completing the final part of the burned animal sacrifice, the aforementioned weekly tribute, when he received a telepathic message from his people's local God.

"[My subject, can you hear me?]"

"!...my lord!?"

Telepathy is one of the abilities Huyrtob developed as a side-effect of his laziness, since that way he doesn't has to actually waste so much energy to communicate in the form of speaking, and can do so at long distances as well so he doesn't actually has to waste energy to get close to others.

"[It is time, the lingering filth has once again dared to step on our sacred lands. Bring it to me, dear subject, and this time, be certain it reaches me.]"

"Worry not my lord, we have prepared accordingly for this day. Right now my son must be there welcoming this filthy being, and we will bring this being to you just like we promised."

"[Oh, is that so? You knew that the filth would arrive ahead of time?]"

Huyrtob set off his sensory field to only warn him about other Dragons like him and alien filth, he never used it to actually keep an eye on his servants or monitor them. That requires far more energy that he's willing to spare.

"Yes, my lord. Days ago we caught eye of the creation of a teleportation circle that was being built nearby, and we kept an eye for whatever might arrive through it. And if such being caught your eye, then it must be just like we suspected, that circle was used to send an alien filth against us. Against you, my lord."

"[I see. The polluted rabble always placed so much trust, so much faith, in these creatures that never even belonged to our world. To think they even consider the stupid idea that they can use them to destroy me, they truly are inferior beings.]"

"But we aren't inferior! Thanks to you, my lord, we are above all the polluted rabble that dares worship these false Gods, and we will show our loyalty to you for eternity!"

If you ask Huyrtob, he would say that he doesn't cares much about being worshipped, but that would be a lie. Just like how Mairgoleido basked on the feeling of being the Dragon Emperor (regardless of how short such thing was) Huyrtob loves, loves, LOVES to bask on the adoration and praise of the Sky People. Is the sole thing he never feels lazy for.

"[Very well. Lure this creature to me so I can devour it, so I can grow stronger. And you, my subject, you will be rewarded.]"

"Yes, my lord."

And just like that, the telepathic connection broke.

"So today is the day, uh?"

The High Priest was now totally alone with the burnt offering he just sacrificed for the Mountainous Dragon Lord. He took a glance at the knife he had on his talon, the one he used to swiftly kill the animal before burning it.

"Yes, today is the day..."

And, in what seemed to be a burst of fury, he impaled the calcinated corpse with said knife, a revenge-thirsty expression painted all over his avian face.

"Today is the day we finally get rid of you, false God..."

Worshipping the Mountainous Dragon Lord did bring tremendous benefits to the Sky People, yes, but as the centuries went on, Huyrtob eventually outlived his pragmatic purpose. They already learned everything they could learn from him, the True Dragon Lord no longer has anything else to offer them as a society, and now they're back to being prisoners of Huyrtob.

It's not like they can just stop worshipping him out of the blue or evacuate their entire city without Huyrtob noticing, nor can tell call the other cities of their civilization for help either.

Huyrtob was dead serious back then when he demanded to be worshipped as a God, and is still dead serious now. They can't just try to escape his grasp without awakening his fury.

The Sky People does have communities in Kolorioh were the Gods of Light and Darkness reside, beings that could indeed destroy Huyrtob if they wanted to, but these 2 Players have an entire supercontinent with their own issues to look after, they can't abandon their own people to save the people of a supercontinent they have no business with. The Sky People of Maerû has to look for a solution themselves.

And when their scouting parties reported the arrival of a Player 100 years ago they hoped that they finally found their solution, since Players can't help but expand their influence and show of their power in flashy ways. In fact, you could say that about any intelligent creature with power, they can't help but revel in said power.

However, to their dismay, the God-King Ainz Ooal Gown wasn't the narcissist power-hungry megalomaniac they thought he was. He was cautious, intelligent, cunning, and always calculated the risks. There's no way he could be tricked or bribed into risking everything to destroy an unknown and dangerous enemy like the Mountainous Dragon Lord.

When time passed and his firstborn son was placed in charge of an expansion campaign designed to annex lands into his Sorcerer Kingdom, the Sky People saw their second chance. Shura Ulain Gown was prideful, aggressive, competitive, thirsty for worthy challenges, and above all, he was powerful, extremely so. Luring someone like that into challenging the Mountainous Dragon Lord would be childplay.

And they were SO close of accomplishing such thing...the Crown Prince set foot in their lands, the Rust Mountains, by his own arrogant will after a series of battles that would be remembered as the Unholy War, they didn't even had to look for him! Everything was going so smoothly until his father, Ainz Ooal Gown, stepped in and took his son away. The expansion campaign was even cancelled as well, everything was ruined again!

Further research into the matter revealed that, at that time, Ainz Ooal Gown recently formed a loose alliance with the Platinum Dragon Lord, the younger son of the last Dragon Emperor. The Sky People's sages theorized that it was Tsaindorcus the one that informed the God-King that there was a powerful True Dragon Lord ruling the Rust Mountains, and thus he most likely panicked and brought his son back home, aborting the expansion campaign as well to avoid the risk of crossing paths with another dangerous being.

The Sky People's patience was running low and their desperation was growing bigger. The High Priest of that time personally paid a visit to the God-King, fell to his knees, and humbly asked Ainz Ooal Gown for his aid in the liberation of his people. The God-King, ever so calculating, was aware of the benefits the Sky People could offer to his continent-spanning Kingdom, but reached the conclusion that the risk was too great.

Turns out that they raged war against a True Dragon Lord years before the expansion campaign, a war against the extremely ancient and powerful Chromatic Dragon Lord, and it was a battle that they could barely win. It took a good while for Nazarick to recover their strength after that epic battle, and the God-King said that it would take decades before they were ready to fight another being like that.

Not all was lost, however, since the God-King knew by then that more Players like him were sure to arrive in the future, and assured the High Priest that if he can bring that Player or Players to his side, alongside the numbers and resources they might potentially bring with any possible base, then the power of Nazarick would be greatly augmented, and even True Dragon Lords would be nothing more than small fry to him.

He would gladly aid our cause if that scenario comes to pass, the God-King said, but it was hardly much solace for the Sky People back then since the next Player advent was many years away. But now, now that advent has finally arrived.

Days ago, an emissary of the God-King made contact with the current High Priest, informed him of his new scheme to destroy all the Dragon Lords of the Anti-Player Alliance in order to cull out and destroy the World Tree Dragon Lord for good. However, Ainz Ooal Gown didn't wanted to spare power in mere "side-kicks" of Mairgoleido so he would instead utilize the new Players that recently arrived this century to make quick work of them. All the Sky People has to do is lure the Player that he sends over to them into a death match against their draconic oppressor, easy enough since that's exactly what Huyrtob himself wants as well.

The High Priest even allowed members of Corpus of the Abyss to create a teleportation circle just right outside of their city, and also created a fabricated story they would tell to the Player that arrives as well.

The sole difficult part would be to make sure the Player never leaves nor suspects that he's being used, so the High Priest instructed his family and servants to be discrete and never reveal their intentions, be hospitable and pretend to help the Player with anything he needs, since a tricked individual who was thrown into a mysterious situation would obviously be desperate for answers.

And now, the moment finally arrived! The God-King was true to his word and sent over a being capable of destroying the Mountainous Dragon Lord and free them from their grasp. He does hope, however, that his son Tai'me doesn't screws it up.

_'He's a smart boy, he's got this.'_

As he reassured himself that everything would turn out alright, he calmly teleported himself to his personal room, changed his clothes and used a [Clean] Spell on himself to remove any scent of smoke, put on his glasses, and teleported to his office.

Who knows how long it will take for Tai'me to lure the Player all the way to him since taking the Player to a transportation cabin would seem to suspicious, and the High Priest is the only one high-level enough to use a teleportation Spell powerful enough to take the Player all the way to were Huyrtob is, since their city is still hundreds of meters away from the Dragon Lord's physical body.

The High Priest took a sit and begun to flip some documents that were already on his table. A few minutes that seemed like hours went by before his Eladrin servant Bah'ku rushed in and spoke in an agitated tone.

"You holiness! He's here! You son brought him here!"

The High Priest's heart jumped to his throat, the Player is here, in this temple. If their deception is discovered, there's no telling how angry the Player could get, and all the people in the temple...no, all the people living in the city would be in jeopardy. But there's no turning back, it's now or never. There's no way they will wait another 100 years for the chance to be free.

"It's alright Bah'ku. Relax, remain calm, tell them to come here, I'm waiting for them."

"Yes your holiness."

The Eladrin quietly left his office before another few endless minutes passed by, and before he knew it, Bah'ku returned with his son and the Player, a 3 meters tall insectoid with magical runes etched on his exoskeleton. Hard to believe at first sight that the power of this being is so God-like, but no matter.

_'This is it. The future of our people here depends of what I do next. Focus. Focus. Focus...'_

The High Priest needed a few seconds to steel his resolve before finally deciding to speak.

Both he and his son were using their fabricated story in order to fool the Player, whose name is Ragnar, into thinking that they too are just as confused as he is about his current situation, that way Ragnar would form a false sense of camaraderie with them and would trust them.

And it seems to have worked, Ragnar dropped his guard and even gave permission to be appraised by the High Priest.

The moment of truth.

With his talon wide open, the High Priest begun to prepare a special custom-made 5th Tier Abjuration Spell specifically designed for this moment. There's a magically marked spot right in front of the place where the Mountainous Dragon Lord's body rests all the time, all he has to do is teleport the Player there.

Easier said than done, since teleportation is a complex magic, but he can do it, he's the High Priest of the Sky People community in the Rust Mountains. While the Heavenly Pope that resides in their civilization's capital in Kolorioh can use magic up to 7th Tier, those communities that live peacefully in the other side of the world never had to develop their magic to this levels, so perhaps even their Pope can't use the complex Spell the High Priest is carefully casting right now.

However, as the Spell was near completion and his heart was about to sing victory, Ragnar apparently discovered the trick and suddenly manifested 2 large and heavy axes out of nowhere. In a split second the High Priest paralyzed, but a split second later he recovered his resolve and completed the Spell, successfully teleportating Ragnar all the way to the place Huyrtob is.

The pieces are in place, all they can do now is pray to their _actual_ Gods for the Player's victory. The High Priest can't wait to inform his people that they are finally free after all this is done.

"Well done, son. I'm proud of you."

Tai'me formed a huge smile on his avian face, an expression that was also painted with an great sense of relief.

"Not gonna lie, that was a bit scary. I had to tell that Player a few bits of secret knowledge to get on his good side, I hope that's okay?"

"Don't worry about that now, we should instead monitor the conflict from afar. If the Player is defeated, is possible that the Mountain Devil will be weakened, in which case we will swiftly swoop in for the kill."

That last line was delivered with sharp and unbreakable determination. As the leader of this community, the High Priest is more than ready to give his life to release his people from the Dragon Lord's tyranny.

A future where they can wake up without having to worry about the ridiculous demands of a being who looks at them like vermin, a future without fear of the wrath of a being that could destroy them on a whim.

A bright future, that's all they want, and if Ragnar can deliver them such thing, then it's possible that the vacant left by the Mountain God may be filled by a nascent Insect God...

**[...]**

"Damn you! DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU AAAAAAALL!"

Such are Ragnar's wrathful screams while he trashes inside Huyrtob's throat. He couldn't avoid being swallowed just now, but he can however be an impossible snack to swallow. His onyx axes [Modi and Magni] were ripping apart the Dragon Lord's innards with tremendous prejudice, the Mountainous Dragon Lord's shell and scales may be as sturdy as they are, but nobody is a strong inside as they are outside.

Huyrtob obviously couldn't endure it no more so he used his magma breath to vomit Ragnar and violently spit him out towards the ground.

Insectoid Races are almost always vulnerable to fire, and Ragnar's Race of choice is no different, so a magma attack would normally inflict great amounts of damage to Ragnar despite his monstrous stats. However, the damage Ragnar just received is actually minimal, since his accumulated rage and the dangerous situation he has been suddenly thrown into allowed him to subconsciously activate his [Primal Rage] ability.

The Barbarian's [Primal Rage] Skill usually increases the Player's strength and speed in exchange of a temporal decrease of defense, but Ragnar's build has 45 Racial Levels composed of Insectoid Classes, Races which are noteworthy for the tremendous increase of natural armor they grant to the Players who build them, on top of the Racial Skills of course.

Even if its defense were to decrease, the exoskeleton of an Insect Player who build enough Racial Levels would still be able to endure great amounts of punishment.

But Ragnar didn't limit himself to just that racial advantage, he also took it a step further by exploiting a loophole with his [Wild Evocator] and [Runescarred] Job Classes that allowed him to actually increase his defense while using the [Primal Rage] Skill instead of decrease it.

Anyone who personally knew Ragnar back in YGGDRASIL would agree that he was nothing short of a true, unbeatable monster. Until they met Anchelo, that is.

"Ah, what a feisty piece of filth. It seems I will have to kill you first, and then devour you. What a bother."

Ragnar for his part didn't responded to that statement. Instead, he simply replaced his clothes with his usual Divine-class gear which merely consisted of his [Belt of the Jötnar] and [Monster King Necklace] besides his twin axes.

He just gazed at the Mountainous Dragon Lord with eyes filled with fury, and said the following.

"You know...I'm actually glad that I was thrown here, because right now the only thing that I want...the sole thing that I want to do...is to ravage something as HARD AS I CAN!"

And just like that, Ragnar unleashed a powerful howl while his body was engulfed by crimson-red flames, the physical manifestation of the [Primal Rage] ability.

"Uh, you really will make me work for it? Damned filth..."

With an annoyed expression on his face, Huyrtob created the biggest [World-Warping Wall] he could in order to prevent any possible escape or any arrival for help. Even though his enemy openly declared his intention to destroy him with his own hands, Huyrtob will take no chances.

Ragnar threw himself forwards at high speeds full of murder intent, he's fully prepared to kill this Dragon Lord in front of him, and will truly hold nothing back!

He would've ripped apart Huyrtob's head, but the Mountain Dragon made a swift 180 degrees rotation to slam Ragnar with his heavy tail, sending him flying away despite the Barbarian's strength and momentum.

The Dragon immediately followed up with a huge jump, a simple move that would easily crush flat any opponent of Huyrtob since he's also capable of increasing his weight and mass to be twice as heavy as he normally is, combined with the tremendous heights his jumps can reach thanks to his powerful legs, this simple move would easily kill any unprepared Player with regular a build, equipment, and PvP skill.

But again, Ragnar is anything but "regular".

Huyrtob's massive stomp connected, the impact of his fall was akin to that of a meteor that fell from outer space. The cataclysmic shockwave instantly reshaped the entire battlefield, even the clouds surrounding the mountain peaks were pushed away. Even the Birdman city that was hundreds of meters away would've been reduced to rubble if not for the defensive Spells protecting it, and even then the city was still heavily shaken by the attack.

But that wasn't enough, the unquenchable rage of the Insect below Huyrtob's body would NOT be extinguished by this!

Despite being crushed by the equivalent of 2 mountains falling on him from tremendous heights, Ragnar lifted, LIFTED, Huyrtob's still heavier body with his own arms and threw him away with great fury as if the Dragon Lord were a mere baseball.

"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Using the Skill [Hammer of Thor] Ragnar aimed at Huyrtob's belly while he was still in midair, creating a powerful electric impact that pushed Huyrtob even further, and even created heavy cracks on his lower shell too since the the belly is almost always the weakest part of a turtle's shell, and it seems that same logic applies for Huyrtob's physiology.

"Urgh! Annoying filth! Why don't you just sit and die!?"

For the first time in very long, Huyrtob felt pain. He recovered his balance in order to land safely, and after using his Wild Magic to close his wound he used another Wild Magic Spell he calls [Scorching Scales] that hardens his already impenetrable scales and adds a layer of volcanic heat to them in order to make sure anyone who dares touch him won't come out unscathed.

"Now you've done it! Congratulations filth, it's very difficult to piss me off, but you went ahead and did it! Forget being bothersome, I will use everything I have to annihilate you!"

Now both the World's End Berserker and the Mountainous Dragon Lord are filled to the brim with murder intent.

"You know what!? I don't care! This fucking world! The fucking people that lives in this world! And my own fucking luck! All of that can go to hell! Starting with you!"

Ragnar blames not only the backstabbing natives of this world for the current situation he's in, but his own poor luck as well. Nobody would blame Ragnar nor his friends for blaming their own poor luck, after all, there's no way they could've seen the intricate strings that Momonga has been silently pulling from behind the scenes all this time.

What a "coincidence", that Meitro arrived to Mount Keitenias _specifically _when Cure Elim wasn't busy elsewhere collecting more Souls and Undead.

What a "coincidence", that Asmodel arrived to Sulte'rioj's underground lair _specifically_ when the Vampire Dragon wasn't busy elsewhere with his research nor collecting blood.

What a "coincidence", that Anchelo arrived to Dirvelek's stolen lair _specifically_ when the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord wasn't in one of his deep slumbers.

And what a "coincidence", that Teinu arrived to the Ikrit Desert region _specifically_ when the local Human tribes where attempting to run away.

That's what one may think at first glance, but they would be wrong. SO wrong.

It was Nazarick's forces what either evacuated or eliminated any living creature left in Mount Keitenias to make sure that Cure Elim wouldn't move from the prepared spot.

It was Ainz himself the one that controlled the Undead servants of Sulte'rioj in order to convince the Vampire Dragon that there was no new progress on his magical research nor new harvested blood.

It was Nazarick again the ones that woke up Dirvelek and made sure he would remain awake for Anchelo's arrival.

And it was an agent of the Sorcerer Kingdom the one that informed the desert Human tribes of the existence of Ainz's nation in the first place.

After decades of delicate preparation, there's simply no way that someone like the God-King would leave anything to chance, no matter how small the detail. Destroying the Anti-Player Alliance is something that MUST be done.

But Ragnar doesn't knows nor would care about that, all he cares about is reducing the Mountain Dragon in front of him to a pile of shattered stones with his own axes.

His accumulated rage flared up once again, igniting his [Primal Rage] even more which made his crimson fiery aura even bigger than before. Huyrtob followed suit and ignited his [Scorching Scales] with even more heat, and with no more words to be said the 2 simply rushed forwards at full force, ready to rip each other apart piece by piece.

Huyrtob attempted another tail swipe, but Ragnar saw that coming and flew upwards at blinding speeds ready to bring his axes down with an extremely buffed [Mountain Cleaver]. But before he could cut the Dragon's shell he was hit by a flying piece of large debris that Huyrtob telekinetically moved to interrupt his attack.

In all his blazing anger Ragnar totally forgot that the Mountainous Dragon Lord also has geokinetic abilities that allows him to mentally move the earth, so he should've seen such thing coming as well.

Huyrtob didn't wasted this opportunity and proceeded to unleash an unstoppable barrage of bullet-rocks, each one larger than the previous one, on top of Ragnar. But this did little to stop the Barbarian since those giant bullets were just mundane rocks, not even enchanted with Wild Magic. The best they could do was temporary distract Ragnar for a few seconds, yet that's precisely what Huyrtob needed to prepare his [Molten Skies] Spell.

Humongous amounts of rock were coalesced and melted into large, floating orbs of unnaturally hot magma orbiting around Huyrtob, orbs that flew straight towards Ragnar at a speed that betrayed their size.

Even Ragnar, in the state he currently is, would be seriously hurt if all those magma orbs created with defense-bypassing Wild Magic manage to connect, so he used a risky move.

"[Ymir Andaðu]!"

A tremendous snow blizzard erupted in all directions from Ragnar's body, taking the shape of a huge cold tornado that continuously increased in size. So potent was this Skill that all of Huyrtob's magma orbs were extinguished and left inert by the cold, even his [Scorching Scales] had their heat tremendously weakened by this AoE Skill, but such thing would naturally be expected from an EXP consuming Skill.

It's true that by using such Skills Ragnar runs the risk of reverting to Level 99, but he was dead serious when he said that he will vent his all accumulated wrath by destroying Huyrtob with everything he has, even if such thing ends with him being slightly weaker when all is said and done.

For now he's safe, he has enough EXP left to use at least one more of those Skills, but he will only use it if he's certain that the Dragon Lord will die with that final hit, so he will now focus on chipping away Huyrtob's health as fast as he can. And to do so, he decided to unleash his trump card right here and now.

"[Skill - Einherjar]!"

2 balls of white light coalesced at Ragnar's sides, which slowly shaped themselves into insectoid form. If one ignored the bleached-white axes and the glowing exoskeletons, they were the spitting image of Ragnar. But the resemblance is not merely cosmetic however, the weapons and stats are identical to Ragnar's, and because of their nature as Golem-like constructs they enjoy a huge miriad of resistances and immunities.

[Einherjar] is a trump card bestowed by the [Viking] and [Valkyrie] series (in Ragnar's case, he possesses the [Viking: Axe] Job Class), and while normally you can only summon 1 of these powerful constructs, Ragnar's ability to summon 2 is yet another loophole his build managed to exploit.

Of course, the near-impossible to get Job Class known as [Ragnarøk] is capable of summoning up to 5 [Einherjar] constructs, so Ragnar's feat isn't that impressive in comparison to those invincible monsters of Trinity, but it's still quite an accomplishment.

And if that wasn't enough, his constructs also have the same magical tattoos that Ragnar has etched on himself as well, meaning that they can also use the majority of Ragnar's most powerful Skills. Another contrast with the [Einherjar] summons of most Players that could only use a limited number of their Skills.

The 3 Barbarians lunged themselves at full speed towards the Dragon Lord who attempted to stop their advance with a powerful magma breath attack, this time enhanced with huge amounts of Wild Magic, but Ragnar responded with a powerful Racial Skill from his [Insect Emperor] Class known as [Emperor's Screech].

The massive soundwave collided with the breath attack and both cancelled each other out, which allowed Ragnar and his construct clones to begin their relentless assault on Huyrtob's gargantuan body.

Despite his tremendous durability, Huyrtob's scales and shell where being chipped away by the brutal axe swings of his 3 opponents, and even increasing the temperature of his [Scorched Scales] beyond their normal limit did little to stop or slow them down. The Dragon Lord simply couldn't understand why his opponent was so powerful, he has fought filth like him before but they weren't near as strong as this insect is.

The reason for Ragnar's ridiculous strength is actually quite simple. He's angry, very, very, very angry. And he's also a Barbarian, a Class of Fighters known for their ability to draw strength from their inner rage.

Back in YGGDRASIL, Barbarians were simply the warriors that focused on attack power and primitive forms of combat rather than weapon variety that more common warriors enjoyed, and their [Primal Rage] was simply a mechanic that allowed them to increase their physical abilities for a short bit.

But here, in this world where flavor in a game became real, the power of Barbarians is no longer a mere mechanic. Here, Barbarians truly do draw their strength from their rage, and also unlike in YGGDRASIL there's no numerical limit of how strong your fury can make you.

The angrier you are, the stronger you become. Quite simple.

And here's Ragnar, someone who decided to put his trust in a Human called Daifuku who proceeded to trick him and distanced him from his friends. And is also someone who made the colossal mistake of trusting yet another stranger who also proceeded to trick him as well, this time by forcing him to face a True Dragon Lord that could very well be capable of killing him.

Not to mention that his friends could be suffering terrible fates for all he knows, all because they put their trust into someone who seemed nice and polite.

Ragnar is the angriest he has ever been in his entire life, and hence, his power as a Barbarian skyrocketed to levels it never has before. If Anchelo in his [Channel Divinity] state were to challenge Ragnar right now, the outcome of their battle would be in doubt.

But in any case, Huyrtob was trying all the Wild Magic Spells he knew in an attempt to defend himself from the filth, but the most he could do was scratch his enemies. The simple fact that the Mountainous Dragon Lord was capable of imbuing his attacks with fiery magma (an Insect's fatal weakness) was the sole reason he could even scratch Ragnar in the first place.

Huyrtob may be a lazy scrub, but he's no ignorant, he knows that if this keeps on, he will inevitably die. So it seems he has no choice, he has to use his own trump card right here and now.

Using his innate connection to the earth, Huyrtob used his Wild Magic to reach as deep as he could, reaching lower than the silicate crust, lower than the viscous mantle, lower than the liquid outer core, all the way down to the absolute lowest place his magic could reach; the very solid inner core of the New World.

With a temperature of 5,430 degrees Celsius (9,806 degrees Fahrenheit), the heat of the planet's core rivals that of the surface of the sun, and with a magic that allows him to telekinetically pull fragments of the nucleus of this world all the way to the surface, Huyrtob holds the potential to destroy the entire world if he so desires.

But luckily for everyone, Huyrtob never bothered to develop his abilities to the point of being able to easily destroy the world, since even pulling a relatively small fragment of the inner core, alongside all the magma from the mantle that such fragment drags alongside it, requires a tremendous amount of effort and focus, not the mention the risk of burning himself to death as well.

But considering his current situation, the Dragon Lord has no choice but to run the risk, even if that means destroying his own slave Race alongside the filth. Looking for another servant species sounds incredibly bothersome, but Huyrtob has no intention of dying, so he went ahead and activated his trump card.

[World Incinerator]

The ground below them begun to raise and heat up like a baking bread, even Ragnar despite his blinding rage could still feel a chill run up his spine, his enemy was up to something. He could also tell because the Mountain Dragon stopped trying to attack and withdrew himself into his own shell like a turtle would, and added a Wild Magic Spell that greatly increased his own defense on top of it.

The raising ground now begun to crack, slowly taking the shape a a volcanic mouth ready to vomit all the lava screaming for release. Ragnar wasted no time and used his necklace's daily ability to coat himself in a second exoskeleton of enchanted rock to increase his already buffed defense even further, and then braced himself with even more defensive Skills on top of each other.

And it's a good thing he did all that, because if Ragnar would've skipped even a single one of those steps, then the resulting eruption would've reduced him to nothingness.

[World Incinerator] spew forth upwards without mercy, calling it "hellishly hot" would be a ridiculous understatement. The sun-like magma made quick work of the Einherjar and was painfully cooking up Ragnar himself. His entire body was slowly melting, if not for his second rock exoskeleton he coated himself with, then he would've ended just like his constructs.

The skies blackened with ash, the entire battlefield looked like nothing short of a hellscape from the distance. Even the poor Sky People were suffering the consequences of Huyrtob's Spell, suffering tremendous levels of heat despite the Spells protecting their city. And even if they manage to survive, they would still fall victim to symptoms akin to those of insolation.

Eventually, the eruption ended since Huyrtob lacked the necessary amount of energy required to create an attack of such magnitude for prolonged amounts of time. His laziness was the sole saving grace of both Ragnar and the Sky People, but that was little solace to them because [World Incinerator] may've ended, but the effects are as painful as they can get.

The Sky People was now suffering the horrible effects of prolonged exposure to high temperatures, the poor children had it worse. But none of that is as bad as what Ragnar is going through right now.

His second stone skin had all of its power drained and crumbled away, exposing his steaming exoskeleton and his etched runes that had all their magic totally drained as well, thus were now dulled and colorless. His internal organs were in a pitiful state, and even his unfathomable rage was nearly gone at this point. His vision was blurry, his senses were dull, he could barely stand up, let alone fight. Even holding his own onyx axes was burning his hands.

And as it turns out, Huyrtob was only barely in a better state than Ragnar. His shell was steaming hot, his scales were charred black, and his eyes were so dry he could barely see.

He gave out a few smoky coughs and addressed his enemy.

"That...hurt you more than...it hurt...me..."

Ragnar for his part could hardly make out the Dragon Lord's words, his own auditive organs were nearly destroyed after all.

"This is it...filth...I will make sure that y-you die...for...good!"

Mustering his remaining Wild Magic reserves, Huyrtob telekinetically moved the piece he took from the New World's core in order to create the eruption, an extremely large and still hot chunk of iron-nickel alloy that was nearly as big as he was, and begun to reshape it into the form of a large mineral spear.

Ragnar's eyesight was damaged but he was still able to recognize such thing floating above the Dragon Lord. He had to move, despite how painful such simple thing was right now. He had to fight and survive, despite the voice in his head screaming for the sweet release of death.

If he will die, then he will go out giving everything he has, so he decided to use his last EXP consuming Skill as a final move against the Dragon Lord. After all, considering his wounds it's very possible that he will die regardless if he wins or not, so he can go out burning out as many EXP consuming Skills as he can before kicking the bucket.

But now, he has to do something about that large mineral spear, so he will use the most powerful Burst Damage Skill on his arsenal, the same Skill that destroyed the final Boss that he and his friends fought in the final day of YGGDRASIL, before being taken against their will to this horrible world full of betrayers and murderer monsters.

"[Ymir Reiði]!"

Behind him the upper half of an spectral Giant manifested itself, he had bluish skin, long white hair and beard, pure white eyes, and on each side of his head there was a giant tusk that curved itself downward. This was Ymir, the primordial Jötun and ancestor of all Giants.

Huyrtob saw that Giant and begun to panic, he began to increase the sturdiness and power of the mineral spear taking form despite the Soul cost of doing such thing. It seems he underestimated the Dragon Emperor's filth yet again, and in the state he is in he can't afford a long battle, so he has to make sure to finish him with this final attack.

Both final strikes were finally prepared.

The Giant readied his fist to strike the moment Ragnar lifted his axes, and he launched his fist towards the Dragon Lord the same moment Ragnar launched himself at it. That simple jump that required the last ounces of his strength shattered what remained of his legs, his membrane wings are all but gone now so he couldn't use flight to reduce the weight on his legs before making the jump.

Huyrtob for his part coated his hardened mineral spear with a mantle of magma and launched it forward as well.

As it turns out, a piercing attack of such magnitude buffed with Wild Magic could easily rip apart the bludgeoning attack of someone in Ragnar's sorry state, even if it's an EXP consuming Skill. So for all intents and purposes, Ragnar is done for.

Hence, the following turn of events made absolutely no sense.

When both the Giant's fist and the mineral spear connected, it was the spear what was shattered into smithereens rather than the Giant's fist. The Skill even managed to connect with Huyrtob's body which shattered a huge portion of his shell and pushed him back many meters away.

Even Ragnar himself couldn't believe how effective his attack was, the amazing sight filled him with such confidence that he even felt his painful burns disappear and his energy return!

At least, Ragnar thought it was his newfound confidence what made his strength return. That is, until a pair of mysterious figures appeared out nowhere, figures that were sprinting towards the Dragon Lord at speeds that no native of this world should be capable of running at.

Thanks to his recovered vitality, Ragnar's senses where back to full gear and thus could have a clearer view of those figures. They were 2 Humanoid beings, had blonde hair, large pointy ears, and dark complexions.

If Ragnar was allowed to guess, he would say that the 2 Humanoid figures are Dark Elves.

"Yahooooooo!"

One of those Elves gave a cheerful shout before using a Ranger Skill to manifest a huge amount of arrows made of light, arrows that proceeded to rain on top of the Dragon Lord and shatter his already feeble shell even further. Then, the other Elf used a Tier Magic Druid Spell to create an earthquake that made a fissure big enough to trap Huyrtob in it.

"You filth! You dare try to manipulate the earth in front of me!? Insolent!"

Filth...now that Ragnar's mind is clear and no longer being drowned by rage, he can clearly recall the fact that this Dragon Lord kept addressing him as "filth". And now, he's addressing the 2 Elves as "filth" too. Coincidence?

He's in the middle of a death match right now, so Ragnar doesn't has the luxury to think about that. But at the very least he can be sure that these new figures aren't his enemies because now it's plain obvious that it was the Elf Druid the one that healed his wounds and made him recover his strength.

The why of their actions shouldn't matter at this point, all he has to do right now is accept this helping hand and win as quickly as possible. The Dragon Lord might have something far more powerful than that apocalyptic eruption up his sleeve for all he knows.

With his restored membrane wings he catapulted himself forward at full speeds, and before Huyrtob could even react he used [Hammer of Thor] to deliver a clean strike to the Dragon's head.

It seems such attack caused much damage since the Dragon Lord begun to painfully trash and roar, but it could also be the frustration of being cornered and heavily wounded while his enemies are on full health what's contributing to Huyrtob's rage.

Now it was the Mountainous Dragon Lord the one who was very, very angry. But since he has no Barbarian Job Classes on his build, his wrath won't give him any extra strength nor restore his vitality.

What Huyrtob can do in his current state however is a last ditch, desperate effort to destroy the filth.

Using a Spell similar to [Molten Skies] Huyrtob begun to form a colossal orb of lava above them, but it was much bigger than the ones from before, around 10 times larger than Huyrtob himself.

He's truly desperate, using such taxing Spell despite the withered state his own body and Soul are. But what makes such thing even sadder is the futility of such thing, because even this is unable to break the confidence of his 3 aggressors.

"[Skill - Petrify]!"

"[Maximize Magic - Bind of Gaia]!"

Both Elves used abilities that not only completely paralyzed Huyrtob's body, but also interrupted the formation of whatever he was trying to create right now. The powerless lava simply lost its orb shape and fell on them like magma rain, rain that didn't even made a little burn on their bodies because all 3 of them were currently protected by the Elf Druid's defensive Spells and the Ranger Elf's buffing Skills.

_'These Elves are something else. There's no doubt in my mind, they're YGGDRASIL beings just like me...'_

Them being extremely powerful natives of this world could very well be a possibility, but it's easier for Ragnar to simply assume they're from YGGDRASIL. Once this is over, he will demand answers from them.

"You. Damned. FILTH!"

A furious Huyrtob used all his remaining strength to spew a breath attack at Ragnar's direction, but it was so meek and little that it would be childplay to dodge it, or better yet, overpower it.

"[Skill - Emperor's Screech]!"

The Racial Skill was more than enough to push back the magma breath and hit Huyrtob directly just like it did before.

"I think it's time to end this, sir Player!"

Oh, the Ranger Elf even knows that he's a Player! These 2 are definitely from YGGDRASIL, there's no doubt about that now, but that Elf is right, it's time to immediately end this.

After seeing how his last ditch effort so utterly failed, the Mountainous Dragon Lord gave up on life. His body begun to subtly glow in an orange-red light, and it begun to swole as well. It was obvious what was going on, Huyrtob plans to blow himself up and destroy everything in a 4 kilometres radius while he does so.

The 3 might survive, but who knows what would happen to the nearby Sky People. They did backstab him, but Ragnar doesn't thinks they should all die because of that, at least not before they can give him answers.

And so, Ragnar mustered all the remaining fury he had left for one last burst of [Primal Rage] and flew upwards at high speeds while the 2 Elves strengthened the grip of their paralyzing abilities to be completely sure that Huyrtob doesn't avoids this final strike.

Ragnar lifted his axes up and then lunged himself downward like a meteor towards the Mountain Dragon's neck, amassed all his strength, and delivered this battle's final blow.

"[Skill - Mountain Cleaver]!"

It was a clean, perfect cut. The weakened scales of Huyrtob were little more than butter to Ragnar's Divine-class axes, his head powerlessly fell shortly before the rest of his body did, both the body swelling as well as the glowing stopped for good, meaning that they killed Huyrtob just in time.

The last lingering thoughts inside the Mountainous Dragon Lord's dying head were the following:

_'I knew I shouldn't had trusted you...Mairgoleido you stinkin liar...I should've instead looked for a nice and cozy hole to spend the rest of eternity in...but that would've been such...a...bother...'_

After all was said and done, both Elves got near the Dragon's head to examine it and made sure he's indeed dead. During this time was when Ragnar took the opportunity to carefully analyze them. From a distance, of course.

Both Elves were dressed in mostly white clothes, but the sexual dimorphism between them made easy for Ragnar to realize that they were a male and a female. Yet, both were unquestionably attractive for Humanoid standards, their shared heterochromia even added an exotic air to their looks as well.

Had Ragnar been a Humanoid rather than an Insect, then perhaps he would be feeling something for that well-endowed Dark Elf beauty.

The male Dark Elf, the Druid, held a plain-looking wooden staff while the female Dark Elf, the Ranger, had what seemed to be a whip hanging from her waist. Such equipment rang some bells in Ragnar's mind, he thinks he has a vague idea of who these 2 are, but he can't be sure.

Now that Huyrtob is dead, Ragnar can afford a second to breathe easy and relax. But he didn't put away his weapons though, theese Elves may've helped him win but he still isn't sure if he can trust them. He has been backstabbed twice in a row already, he's never dropping his guard around strangers ever again.

After a few seconds of silence the female Dark Elf spoke first.

"So that was very wild, uh? We sure showed him who's boss, won't you say sir Player?"

She spoke in a very cheery tone, it seems she enjoyed the brief confrontation with the Dragon Lord a lot. The male Dark Elf on the other hand had the same stoic expression, if Ragnar were to guess he would say the male Elf looked bored, if not annoyed.

Ragnar didn't wanted to take any chances so he made them a question.

"Thanks for helping me, you really saved my ass there. But...why did you do it? You don't know me, and I don't know you."

After hearing those words, the female Elf scratched her blonde hair a bit and responded in an embarrassed tone.

"Well, truth is, we do know you sir Player."

"What!?"

"Yeah, we know you and your 4 friends too. Your crystal home, your guardian NPCs, what you have been up to..."

She even showed her own tongue in a playful manner, the female Elf gave the impression of someone who has just being caught doing something inappropriate, like a kid attempting to steal cookies.

The male Elf had a concerned look on his face when he finally spoke for the very first time, addressing the female Elf.

"Sis, is it really okay for you to be telling him all that?"

The female Elf, his sister it seems, immediately covered her mouth with both hands, drawing a shocked expression on her face when she did so.

"Ah! You're right! That was top secret...well, top secret to the mortals at least. I think Lord Ainz won't mind if the other Players know about it, now that their contribution to his plan is over."

"Lord Ainz", uh? Seems his gut feeling was true. And from her words it also seems that Momonga concocted some sort of grand scheme that Ragnar was forced to take part of, and apparently his friends were also forced to be part of it as well.

A small rage begun to swell up inside him again, but in the exhausted state he currently is in, his body can't really endure the pressure of more Primal Rage, so Ragnar left his anger slide. Instead, he decided to ask the Elves another question.

"You went through a lot of trouble to help me, was that an order Mo-, uh, Ainz gave you? Did he commanded you to aid me?"

"Uh? Nah! We simply wanted to increase your chances of survival, so we lent you a hand!"

The female Elf was all cheers while the male Elf continued to have a worried expression painted on his face.

Ragnar was confused for a bit, NPCs he never met even once wanted to help him? And against Momonga's orders, no less? Something feels wrong, so he decided to ask one more question.

"Then, why? You never met me before, and I certainly never met your master either, why risk yourselves like that for my sake?"

Both Elves remained silent for a few seconds before the male Elf answered the question, this time with a more confident tone.

"Because, we actually want that you and Lord Ainz eventually meet. You and your 4 comrades."

"...uh?"

It was the female Elf who spoke next.

"Yeah! It would be really great if you and Lord Ainz can get to know each other, but that can't happen if you die, so we decided to make sure you don't!"

She was showing a great cheerful smile while her brother also had a softer but still genuine smile painted on his face.

Ragnar now was even more confused that ever, he couldn't even figure out what to ask. But there was no need to ask anything since the Elves explained themselves a moment later.

"For 100 years we've served Lord Ainz. It's our greatest pride and joy to be subjects of the Supreme Being, but with the passing of the decades we all began to subtly notice the loneliness that plagued our beloved master. It wasn't physical loneliness of course, there's always a servant nearby who's ready to serve any whim of our King, no, it was a loneliness that nobody in this world could began to fathom, let alone attempt to cure."

Ragnar was silently but cautiously listening to the Elves, any lingering anger he felt was all but gone now, but it would still be foolish to drop his guard.

"Lord Ainz was the sole Supreme Being from YGGDRASIL in this world. He always held hope that one day he would see his comrades again, our dear Creators, but such day never arrived. But still, our Lord keeps waiting, and waiting, hoping for the day he no longer feels the crushing solitude that only someone like him could understand."

It seems Momonga still had a mortal soul despite being stuck in the body of an Undead Lich for so long. Surely, any normal person who is suddenly thrown into a magical world and commands absolute power would surely feel lonely over time, especially with nobody to talk with.

But wait...

"What about, his children? His sons and daughters, he still feels lonely even with a family?"

The Crown Prince Shura Ulain Gown, the Reaper Twins Ankuru Chama Gown and Nishi Kenrai Gown, also the recently born Maiko Mochi Gown, those 4 are Momonga's children according to the religious tomes he and his friends read back during the days they remained as guests in a Troll village.

"Oh right, the princes and princesses are a real treasure! There's no doubt about that. But...they're still children of the Supreme Being born in this world, they can't truly understand their father the way other Players could, or see things from his perspective even if they tried."

Of course, that much is obvious. Ragnar bets that those "Godlings" won't even be able to understand what DMMO-RPG means even if a Player explains it to them, and that goes for everyone else in this world most likely. He bets even the NPC will never truly understand what they truly were back in YGGDRASIL.

"And so that is why...that is why some of us secretly hoped that you and your companions would be the cure to the inescapable sense of desolation that has tormented Lord Ainz so long."

Ragnar didn't knew what to say. Simply imagining being in that very same situation, alone for 100 years, left him at a loss of words.

Up until now he felt nothing but anger towards Momonga, forcing him and his friends to fight to the death against unknown and strong opponents just for his own ends, being used as little pawns in a chess board, he wanted to find that skeleton and hammer some courtesy lessons into him (with his axes, that is). But now, Ragnar isn't sure of what to think.

"Oh right! Lord Ainz told us that if we come face-to-face with one of you, we should give you this."

The famale Elf took a small piece of decorated paper out of her pocket, placed it on the ground, and used her fingers to slide it towards Ragnar's feet.

They know that Ragnar was still wary of them so they're keeping their distance, it seems they truly bear no ill against him after all.

Ragnar picked up the small note and noticed that it was written in Japanese, there's no doubt that Momonga himself wrote this:

[My deepest apologies, I forced you into such an unsavory situation, and for that I truly am sorry.

I do hope that with time you understand the circumstances that forced my hand and, by extension, yours. I assure you, there was no malice behind my actions even if you think otherwise, and I do have every intention of rewarding your contribution to my plan.

This is my world, I truly hope all of you can be part of it, and as long as I rule it no more danger shall befall upon you from this moment forward, you have my word.]

Uh, Momonga at least has a semblance of decency it seems. Of course, this might be another trick, but Ragnar can't be certain. What he is certain of however is that he wants to return to his friends' side, the sooner the better.

"So, now that this battle is over, can you perhaps tell me where my companions are?"

"Right, about that. You can ask the local Sky People for aid. Turns out that they were being opressed by the Dragon Lord you just killed for several centuries, you know, so surely they must be overflowing with gratefulness for you!"

"Really? So they were also part of this whole scheme? They purposely fooled me so I could kill this Dragon..."

"Both them and us were in a difficult situation, sir Player, I hope you can give them some slack and forgive them for playing along with us."

The female Elf had both her hands clapped together in the shape of an apology, she was removing the blame away from the Sky People so Ragnar wouldn't feel angry at them.

"You insist I forgive them, you sure _you_ can't be the ones who help me find my companions? Do you even know where they are?"

Ragnar doesn't knows why the Elves are telling him to go back where the Aarakocra are, since both of them are right here, surely the aid from the Tomb of Nazarick would be a better option than the Sky People's if he wants to go back to his friends' side, considering THEY are the ones that took them part and teleported them to parts unknown in the first place.

"So sorry sir Player, but that's a direct order. We are not to aid none of you to reunite. You have to find your way back together by yourselves."

_'NOW you are following Momonga's orders!?'_

"Please under-"

The female Elf was cut short by a sudden violent quake that came out of nowhere, it must surely be a very powerful one if it can be felt so high up in mountain peaks like these. For a split second Ragnar felt the small fear that the Dragon Lord might still be alive somehow, but he was decapitated, nobody can survive that. This tremor is definitely _not_ caused by the Dragon they just killed.

"Sorry sir Player, but we must go right now! Come on, Mare!"

"Yes!"

In that moment, both Elves teleported away just like that.

The female Elf called her brother "Mare". Turns out that its true, those 2 really are the Floor Guardians of the Forest Floor of Nazarick and became adults in the span of a century.

But none of that really matters, the world is shaking and Ragnar still doesn't knows where his friends are, only he and this enormous Dragon corpse were left here. Perhaps the Sky People will really help him after all if they were really slaves of the beast. Still, why going through all the trouble of forcing their hand, apologizing for it, yet refuse to help them reunite? Just what is going on in Momonga's head? No matter, if push comes to shove and turns out that Momonga is infact just hiding behind a benevolent facade, then he has this new knowledge of Zauriel and Temuk at the other side of the world.

Is very possible that even Momonga knows who those 2 are, and will gladly trade that info for an insurance of safety, since he still isn't sure if his words written in a note are honest enough.

At that moment Ragnar could also see the Sky People's city in the distance, it seems they temporary deactivated the illusion Spell protecting it. They want Ragnar to return to them despite what they did, perhaps the Elves were telling the truth after all.

"Whatever, if Momonga won't help me, then I will find my friends myself! Just wait for me guys!"

He spread his wings and took flight. He won't punish the Sky People for what they did, but he sure as hell will make sure that they properly compensate him for treating him like a tool! They will tell him everything they know about the world, for starters. The more secret information he amasses, the greater the value he will have for Momonga.

He's done putting his fate in the hands of others. From now on, Ragnar will forge his own path in this world, a path where he and his friends will enjoy peace and happiness, he swears!

**[...]**

"Whew, we're here at last, it seems everyone arrived too."

Aura and Mare arrived at the designated spot where they are meant to fight against, and destroy, the Dragon Lord that founded the Anti-Player Alliance.

The full forces of Nazarick were stationed here, and a few forces bred in the New World were also called to aid in this specific time. Their master is pulling back no punches this time, the destruction of this being is an extreme priority, and rightfully so.

In any case, even though their mindset was prepared for an all-out war, the twin Elves took notice of something that brought them a deep sense of pure joy.

"Look sis, the young masters and the young mistress are standing near Lord Ainz!"

In the distance they saw their master and his 3 grown up children standing side-by-side, for the first time since the birth of Lady Maiko the Sorcerer King could enjoy the company of all his adult children.

"How long has it been since they were together in the same place? If only the circumstances weren't so dire."

Indeed, it took a calamity like this for the Gown family to reunite. Running an entire world is an arduous task that requires tremendous amounts of time after all, instances where Ainz can be with all his children are precious few.

Ainz himself felt partially thankful to this Dragon Lord for giving him an excuse to call and see Nishi and Ankuru who are always so busy elsewhere as Prince and Princess of the Sorcerer Kingdom. It's not that he loves them more than his firstborn Shura, the simple fact is that Shura is his heir and thus the one Prince that needs to learn the most from him, so he's almost always around. The same can be said about Maiko since she's still a toddler, way too young to be traveling around the world by herself so he can afford to be with her most of the time.

Nishi and Ankuru on the other hand were never meant to inherit the throne, so once they reached adulthood and gained an adequate amount of knowledge they left the nest to find their own paths in life. Ainz really misses them most of the time, but he has no intention of chaining them to Nazarick just to keep them around.

But now, thanks to the reawakening of the most powerful Dragon Lord, Ainz can finally see all his children together again. He would even spare the Dragon Lord if it weren't for the fact that his continued existence is an ailment Ainz can no longer allow in this world.

Yes, the Dragon Lord who created the Alliance is a disease that must be wiped out as soon as possible.

As the tremors stopped, Ainz saw the very being he was waiting for emerge from below the surface of the planet. After a mind-shattering roar the "Dragon" spread all his wings and took to the sky, Ainz needed to call his attention so he used [Fly] to gain altitude and set off an enormous amount of fireworks to lure the beast toward him.

And lured he was, the "Dragon" landed right in front of him. Perhaps he recognized Ainz as a Player, or maybe he just was curious since he has never seen fireworks before. In any case, the creature was in front of him, so Ainz spoke in a calm tone.

"Greetings! It's an honor to finally meet you, Mairgoleido=Vaision."

The Dragon-like being, Mairgoleido, remained silent. In any case, Ainz was completely certain that he could hear him, so he kept speaking.

"You sure did a number on this entire world, didn't you? Was all of that worth it just in preparation to face me? Well, you can stop hurting our world now, here I am."

There's a reason Ainz agreed with Tsaindorcus' plan of using the just-arrived Players in order to lure Mairgoleido out of his hiding place. Why he went through all that trouble instead of just letting the Anti-Player Alliance alone. Why he's putting Nazarick in risk now, as well as his own children and the children of the NPC as well. There's a reason for all of this.

That reason being the gargantuan being standing in front of him right now, that draconic being who is the biggest, fattest hypocrite the New World has ever seen.

What Mairgoleido has been doing all this time, buried so deep below the surface, is to drain the very magical life force of the planet, the Soul of the New World, in order to eat it and increase his own power beyond its natural limits. Had he been allowed to continue doing such thing, the forests worldwide would've eventually withered and died, the oceans would've dried, the very air would grow unbreathable.

Even now there are several parts of the New World that have paid the price of Mairgoleido's selfishness. The massive desert that the Thousand Blade Dragon Lord took as personal residence used to be a beautiful and lush piece of paradise complete with fertile lands where people could enjoy bountiful harvests. But because this specific Dragon Lord needed to become stronger, every single Race that lives there paid the price, many tribes went extinct and the few that remain are barely managing to survive. And that is just one example.

Mairgoleido would say that such thing is a necessary sacrifice, to purge the world from the filth. But truth is that Mairgoleido is simply a petty and prideful bastard, he will see the entire world burn before allowing aliens that never belonged here to live on a world he believes is his by birthright.

And that is why the simple fact that Ainz referred to the New World as "our world" was enough to make this arrogant being snap.

"You sure are full of yourself, to claim ownership of a world that never belonged to you."

"Oh, so you can indeed listen to me. You...forgive me, what title should I address you by? Are you still the Prismatic Dragon Lord? Or you prefer World Tree Dragon Lord now? Or maybe Dragon Emperor would be a more fitting title to someone of your lineage and power?"

Ainz was being very respectful to Mairgoleido, but such respect was clearly one-sided.

"It is Dragon God for you, filth of my father."

Indeed, the previous Player that arrived before Ainz to this side of the New World, the leader of the Thirteen Heroes, did in fact knew Mairgoleido as the Dragon God, just like the leader's heroic companions back then did so as well...

**[At that very moment, at the other side of the New World]**

Out in the open, in the midst of a beautiful and well-kept garden there were 2 individuals quietly sitting on luxurious chairs, a table with a chess board between them. Such a tranquil scene would usually give off a normal air of serenity, but the individuals sitting in said chairs are anything but normal.

In one of the chairs there was a man whose physical appearance could only be described as "majestic". A heavenly figure coated from head-to-toe with the finest jewelry and the very best fabrics mortal hands could ever make. His own body sported 4 golden feathery wings, had a silver halo glimmering on his head, his skin was a metallic bronze hue which softly reflected any light just like his gemstone ruby-red hair did, and his eyes lacked any pupils or Human features, instead they were a pure and intense opal-blue.

At his opposing side there was also an individual dressed with jewels and fabrics of the finest quality, but his own body could hardly be described as majestic, let alone heavenly. He was basically a skeleton, there's no mistaking such thing, but he was anything but a "simple" skeleton. His finger bones ended in pinty claws, his shoulder bones had spiky protrusions, his teeth were pointy and sported large canines, had an oversized boneshin on his skull, and his overall skeletal frame was very darkened, giving his bones a grayish tint instead of a pale-white one. His most noteworthy feature however was the crimson fire on his empty eyesockets, a faint but perpetual glow.

The angelic being calmly moved a chess piece to take out another chess piece from the skeleton's side, then asked said skeleton a question.

"That was a very nasty earthquake, don't you think? I even felt a soft chill on my spine, like some sort of premonition of disaster."

The skeleton was also calmly moving his own chess pieces while they continued with their conversation.

"It was. That definitely wasn't a normal phenomenon, we've never experienced anything like it during the last 500 years."

"Do you think it could be an omen? The return of the Aboleths? Or perhaps the son of Barghelide is up to something nasty? Maybe his other son is making a fuss?"

"Mmm, the Aboleths returning is an impossibility, both you and I made sure of that."

"Yeah, the Aboleths are gone in _our_ side of the world, but they could very well be hiding in the other side of this planet."

"Ah yes, the new world recently discovered by our explorers, the place where Xerena claims to originate from. The continent that the Dragon Lords claim is where Barghelide was killed and where Mairgoleido is supposedly up to no good."

"You think one of the Dragon Princes had something to do with the earthquake? Dragon Lords are supposed to have this weird connection to the world, perhaps one of them has something to do with all the sudden loses of fertile land and unnatural increase of polluted and lifeless forests and seas."

What the World Tree Dragon Lord has been doing in Maerû naturally affects the entire New World.

"Perhaps we could ask one of our vassals if they felt something?"

"I feel they would've already rushed to tell us if that is the case."

"...you really do trust others a lot, even after all this centuries."

"Heh, what can I do? Could be this body of mine making me like that, maybe I've been like that since always, maybe both."

A deep silence proceeded to fall between them, for a while only the sound of the moving chess pieces could be heard. Eventually, the conversation renewed.

"So if it's indeed one of Barghelide's sons going rampant, then that continent is virtually doomed. I feel so sorry for the inhabitants there, they won't even know why they had to perish."

The angelic being said such thing with a genuine sense of sorrow, even though he has never met anyone in that continent.

"Mortals die all the time, old friend. Feeling sadness for their passing is a waste of your tears."

The skeletal being has always been the most pragmatic of the pair, most likely his Undead nature made manifest to give him innate apathy for the living.

"I suppose you're right. But I do feel pity for our own lack of power as well, if we weren't so short on resources and forces, then we would've brought prosperity to this entire world already, not just our continent."

"But the very fact that this continent is ours is precisely why you shouldn't waste time feeling pity. If whatever is happening to this world reaches us, we will take care of it. Be it Mairgoleido, Tsaindorcus, or both, it matters not."

Both of them have plenty of experience fighting against True Dragon Lords, hence they know very well the mechanics and functions of their gimmicky Wild Magic. They're confident in their victory should they ever cross paths with one or both of the Dragon Princes.

Their numerous Max Level servants are nothing to scoff at either, nor is the near-limitless amount of loyal Hero-level soldiers that can be spawned from their respective fortresses. And that's without even mentioning the awesome military power that both of them have been slowly but steadily building throughout the entire continent over the centuries.

A national might that would make Momonga green with envy is at the deck and call of these 2.

"Yes, it matters not. As long as it isn't a pesky Aboleth, we should be alright."

Indeed, both of them agree that they would rather fight against 10 True Dragon Lords than facing an Aboleth ever again.

The terror, the inscrutable horror of the Aboleths, is something these 2 could very well spend the rest of eternity without.

Is something the entire world could spend the rest of eternity without.

**And with this, only the final Chapter of Arc I is left!**

**This Chapter took me longer to complete than I would've wished, but hopefully it doesn't take me too long to release Chapter 16. And look at that word count too! I feel like a dum-dum for splitting my Prologue in 2 back then. lol**

**Also, a few other small projects connected to my story are in the planning stages as well. They won't be as long though, but that also means that writing them won't take as long as the main Arcs or the prequel.**

**The little prelude was referring to Huyrtob, obviously, it's his Chapter after all, but it doesn't apply to just him, nor just to the members of the Anti-Player Alliance. In this story I really want to hammer down the differences between Gods and mortals, since in modern media a "Deity" can usually refer to any being that is simply much stronger or smarter or bigger than everyone else, and in my opinion a God shouldn't be just that.**

**The gap between a mortal and a God should be far wider than heaven and earth, and I was getting real bored of stories featuring "Gods" whose only purpose was to be beat down and smacked by mortals just because the mortals had friendship or willpower or some other ridiculous bullshit. A God should be a wall mortals are never able to see the top of, let alone surpass. And not just physically as well, a God should have a superior (and rightfully arrogant) perspective of the mortals "below", the mindset should be an alien one akin to a being who watches the entire world from above everything else.**

**A giant in a world of ants, that's what I think a God should be, and that's what I want to portray in this story. I guess we will know if I succeeded on my purpose after my story is completed.**

**With that out of the way let's go to the Level Sheets.**

**Tai'me**

**Epithet**

**No epithet**

**Racial Levels - 1**

**01 - Aarakocra**

**Job Levels - 7**

**7 - Priest**

**Total Level - 8**

**The reason some Demi-Humans and Heteromorphs in the New World don't progress their Racial Levels is because many of them chose to build and polish their skills instead of strengthening their own bodies.**

**Job Levels are acquired by training your abilities in a particular field, while Racial Levels are acquired by training your own basic body and natural gifts. Humanoids don't have inborn abilities of any sort, that's why they can't build Racial Classes.**

**Yuei'tok**

**Epithet**

**[High Priest]**

**Racial Levels - 1**

**01 - Aarakocra**

**Job Levels - 32**

**10 - Priest**

**09 - Archpriest**

**04 - Hierophant**

**09 - Oracle**

**Total Level - 33**

**Eh, now I realize I never called Tai'me's father by name even once throughout the whole Chapter, lol. While Divine Casters can't focus on a single School of Magic to the same degree Arcane Casters like Wizards can, they can still specialize on them to some level. [Divination] is what the spellcasters of the Sky People almost always chooses to study the most, followed closely by [Conjuration] and [Abjuration].**

**The d20 savvy among you would know how useful those 3 Schools of Magic are, especially outside of combat. Combat minmaxers almost always dump them in favor of [Evocation] or [Necromancy] but some combat builds can still make use of those 3 Schools to great effect in battle.**

**And now the False God.**

**Huyrtob=Keiyvlais**

**Epithet**

**[Mountainous Dragon Lord]**

**Racial Levels - 50**

**10 - Dragonling**

**10 - Young**

**10 - Adult**

**10 - Old**

**05 - Elder**

**05 - Ancient**

**Job Levels - 51**

**10 - Primitive Caster _(Genius)_**

**10 - Iron Dragon**

**09 - World Connector**

**06 - Dragon Eater**

**08 - Ore Lord**

**05 - Dragon Overlord**

**03 - Monk (Dragon)**

**Total Level - 101**

**While Huyrtob was technically a prodigy of sorts, he didn't put the same level of effort the others did to hone his own abilities. He's easily the third strongest member though, as you can guess from his Level he was very close to the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord, but would still lose against him in a fight (by a hair at least, lol).**

**There's more I want to say, but I feel that saying such things would be more appropriate in the next Chapter, so I will said so there and then.**

**What I will say however, is that after the final Chapter of the first Arc I will then release a special "Settings" Chapter which will be the long promised display of the Levels and Equipment of the 5 new Players that arrived 100 years after Nazarick.**

**The people that don't care very much about such mechanic things can ignore Chapter 17 if they want, Chapter 18 will be the official continuation of the story as the first Chapter of Arc II.**

**Oh yeah and in case you're wondering, Ainz truly has no idea of Zauriel and Temuk in the other side of the New World, just like how Zauriel and Temuk have no idea of Ainz either, but they do have suspicions though, since a wave of Players arrived to Kolorioh 100 years before Nazarick did (200 years before this story's setting) so both of them do know that more Players keep arriving to the New World.**

**But in any case, the 2 sides of the New World are still separated from each other, with only the Sky People, some surviving True Dragon Lords, and Xerena the Traveler being publicly aware of the different halves. So far, that is.**

**...uh? Who's this Xerena the Traveler that Zauriel and Temuk mentioned, you ask? She's...um...she's a nice piece of work. She won't be prominent in this story, but she IS a very important character nonetheless, and you all will know why eventually. She will be mentioned here and there, but she will be a background individual most of the time.**

**Oh! Apsu and Dahak will of course be featured in the future, especially when the story reaches Kolorioh. But are they and all the Dragon Lords they helped evacuated still alive? Will they appear in the present time, or just in flashbacks that will depict their violent encounters with Zauriel and Temuk? It seems y'all will have to wait and see. _Wink_**

**And before wrapping this Chapter up, a reader recently asked me what are the prerequisites of the [Mal'akh] Racial Class I've teased in previous Chapters, that Racial Class that is the absolute strongest one in YGGDRASIL. Since it's unlikely that a future Player in my story will be a Mal'akh, I have no issues revealing that here for all to see, so here is what you have to do to obtain the [Mal'akh] Racial Class:**

[To qualify to become a Mal'akh, a character must fulfill the following criteria.

**Karma Rating: **Neutral or Positive.

**Weapon Proficiency: **Proficient with simple weapons.

**Skills: **[Heart of Giant] and [Soul Synthesis].

**Special: **Must have 5 Levels in the [Grigori] Racial Class and the [Blood of YHWH] Item]

**Most of these prerequisites are simple enough, the [Grigori] Racial Class in particular was a bit hard to obtain but it was still doable. The tricky part is [Blood of YHWH] since this specific Item was only dropped by 1 specific Boss, and that Boss only.**

**The Celestial Lord of the Sixth Heavens, the absolute strongest of the World-class Enemies.**

**Remember? The one Seraphim attempted to defeat but failed miserably? Turns out Trinity was more than capable of defeating that Super Boss as many times as they wanted without forming any sort of alliance with others, they weren't the No. 1 Guild in the entirety of YGGDRASIL for nothing. And also because of their notable independence, they could reap all the benefits from their victories without having to share them with other Guilds as well, including the [Blood of YHWH] Item that allowed their Nephilim members to become the strongest Race in the entire game.**

**Nephilim progression basically went like this:**

**15 - Anakim**

**10 - Rephaïm**

**10 - Nephilim**

**05 - Grigori**

**05 - Mal'akh**

**Most Nephilim power-gamers like Takemikazuchi and Yamaiko never went past [Grigori] since Trinity had very strict recruitment standards, so the only Nephilim Players who could max out their Racial Levels where those accepted by Trinity. And also because of the crazy prerequisite to obtain that Racial Class, ****Mal'akh Players were in fact stronger than World Champions, so while Imogen was the strongest Fighter, he wasn****'****t really the absolute strongest Player. In fact, the weilders of the Job Class I casually mentioned in this Chapter, the ones who had [Ragnarøk], would obviously be able to defeat a World Champion as well. Those 9 Fighters were strong, for sure, but not the strongest.**

**Also, since Mal'akh is the final step on the Nephilim line, their physical appearance is abstract in nature. Just like the aesthetic disparity between Takemikazuchi and Yamaiko, no Mal'akh looked the same as another, but most of them had wings (either feathered, leathery, or both) and horns of any size, some had extra limbs, tails, additional eyes, and even animal appendages. Abstract Races are excellent for customization, you can go crazy!**

**And with this, I say goodbye for now.**

**Next Chapter, the World Tree Dragon Lord.**


End file.
